What are your resolutions or goals for mind mapping for 2009? How do you plan to improve your visual mapping abilities during the next 12 months?

Gideon King, founder of NovaMind Software Pty., has been a busy guy lately, publishing a series of blog posts and videos on different applications of mind mapping software. One of the latest is focused on helping you to make smarter decisions using mind maps.

Just in time for Christmas, the developers of MindMeister announced the availability of version 3.1 of its popular online mind mapping application; the biggest enhancement in this release is the ability to add connector lines between ideas.

Why is mind mapping software a strong alternative to dedicated project management programs? An article published on MacMegaSite explains it more clearly than anything I have seen to date.

A new MindManager add-in integrates maps created with the program into Google Desktop search results, with several intriguing twists!

I recently came across an interesting article about a concept called “information triage” that appears to have a lot of relevance to mind mapping. While you may not know it by this name, chances are you’re already doing it. Here’s why mind mapping software can help you to do it better.

Basic ordering ideas are the first level topics that radiate out from your map’s central topic. They are the key concepts that help you to produce the greatest number of associations as you develop a mind map. You can almost certainly improve the quality of your mind maps by being aware of how to create good basic ordering ideas.

If you are interested in learning more about the larger context within which visual mapping fits, then you will really enjoy Malcolm Craig’s excellent book, Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams.

During 2008, the readers of this blog flocked to a broad range of mind mapping-related issues over the past 12 months. Here’s a brief summary of the most popular posts during 2008.

What was the most significant thing you learned about mind mapping software during 2008? Please share your thoughts in the comments section of this post. Perhaps we can all learn some new things from each other!