Comments on: Review: Amode takes a fresh approach to visual mapping, information management

By: John England

John England — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:23:48 +0000

To “C Beauchamp”
I am the exceutive Director of Mindsystems who developed Amode … would love to talk to you further regardig your ideas. My direct email is jce@mindsystems.com.au

Regards, John

By: C Beauchamp MD, PhD

C Beauchamp MD, PhD — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:39:47 +0000

This software has a LOT of potential in the education of medical students and residents to: 1) use an annotated problem list in the care of their patients; 2) apply customizable templates (that include the application of Clinical Practice Guidelines) to the care of their patients; 3) use of project and calendar views as aids in the primary care of patients requiring long term continuity of care for serious illness (eg, the care of patients undergoing cancer therapy).

By: John Dee

John Dee — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:22:44 +0000

I think Wallace has hit the nail on the head. I believe this the greatest step forward in information handling I have seen to date. Certainly it will be difficult to better ther mind map for the initial scoping of and idea or project, but after that serious information handling requires something more than that … and I believe Amode is “that”!
I found I could even “whiteboard” using their innovative “Briefcase” mode … which is something I use all the time.

Now if only they would add a mapping mode …

By: Wallace Tait

Wallace Tait — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:50:34 +0000

OK, it’s been a few days since you’ve gotten yourselves up off the ground, due to the shock and awe of Mindsystems Amode. What a program and what an approach to information management; eh!
I’ve been showcasing the software to quite a few groups since the release, and the feedback has been excellent. The majority of the group attendees were Mind mappers, and most of them being Mindjet Mind Manager Users.
We’re all information managers whether we like or accept that term or not. Mindsystems Amode has done us all a favour and gave us the kick in the pants we needed. Why? Here’s why; as much as Mind maps are excellent, we use them and probably always will. We know what Mind maps can do for us, and some of us are perpetually trying to make our maps look good, and the white space waste….OMG what have we become?
Mindsystems Amode has forced us to take another look at how we manage and govern the Data/Information/Knowledge processes. That’s it, it is really that simple; we waste so much time mapping out information as a Mind map, trying to make it look NICE.
Mindsystems Amode has provided multiple modes of information management in a flexible workspace environment. The database capabilities of Amode continues to astonish me, and I expect to see multiple user environment s coming forward to praise this new challenge to established information mapping practices.
So, we have multiple modes; how powerful would Amode be with a Map mode? Oh my, I look forward to seeing the evolution of this excellent product.
Here’s just a few of the environments’ of use I have identified so far. Feel free to add to the list.
• Business management system
• Process control
• Auditing
• Information/Knowledge management
• Corporate knowledge database governance
• Project management
• CRM
• Human Resource management
• Document and data control
• Academic curriculum mapping
• Personal productivity

By: Bruce Caithness

Bruce Caithness — Fri, 15 May 2009 21:02:28 +0000

Thanks Chuck, great introduction. I have been using Mindsystems Amode constantly since its recent release. At first I was slightly disappointed that Amode does not currently have the capacity to live-link to a Mindmanager map the way KnowledgeLink did. Whether or not this is intended in future releases I don’t know, but it does import and export Mindmanager maps effectively. It is an incredibly powerful piece of software. I particularly love the fonts and lucidity of the tree view interface. I have been a long time daily user of Mindmanger along with the absolutely essential addon – GyroQ and now Amode belongs to my stable of essential software tools. It is exciting to muse as to what it will evolve into. I am avidly discovering new data manipulation functions in it daily – Gantt view, Briefcase, Calendar view and on and on. I actually resonate with the standardised tree view interface which complements the more unstructured Mindmanager. It is very exciting to see a genuinely fresh software vision – one cannot but be an optimist when such tools evolve. The little cartoon logo, Mindbot, is potentially a cult figure in itself. I could imagine Mindbot standing on the foreshore staring out into the cosmos replacing Caspar David Friedrich’s “Monk by the Sea” .

By: Wallace Tait

Wallace Tait — Fri, 15 May 2009 17:44:32 +0000

The Quality of Chuck Frey’s report says much about the impression Amode has left on the leading writer of Mind mapping software issues.
The term “Visual mapping” can now be justified as being descriptive of the expansion of the tools, techniques and Mindset of the greater focus of “Information Management”.

Mindsystems Amode has opened up a whole new avenue for the “Mind mapper” to become a “Visual mapper” who uses the wider tool set to Create, Manage, Exchange and Improve their knowledge environments.

Mind mapping is IMO great for over viewing, Brainstorming and presenting……..but it lacks as a Personal, Academic and business Data management tool. Amode offers established Mind mappers the power to realize the flexibility of various modes of data, information and knowledge management.

As far as I know the Amode framework is stable up to a 50 Gig of data load……….this is phenomenal, and is of great value to Business organizations who wish to database their BMS/QMS operating systems. The scope of use is so wide that, as a Visual mapping consultant, I am analyzing the potential for using Amode as a superior approach to process/project management.

Great report Chuck

By: Bryan Teatherton

Bryan Teatherton — Fri, 15 May 2009 11:41:34 +0000

I have taken a look at this software, and I kind of agreed with johnd for the first 10 minutes. Then I thought there has to be more to this, look at the size of the article written on it! So I realized my mistake, I was trying to judge this as a mind mapping tool, which it clearly is not. Once I had my mind around that and spent some time checking out the options, I had a different opinion. It has loads of functions, maybe too many, their website said more than 60 new, you could say it is a bit complex in places but overall I can use it without too much brain-strain.

So now, 2 hours into this I have built several projects and imported from MindManager, I can see this will compliment my business flow nicely. So yeah, I say don’t write this one off until you fully get the purpose or you could be missing out.

By: PTLdom

PTLdom — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:35:29 +0000

Well, it seems good for gathering and manage information but the issue is to achieve anything much beyond that. That’s why people are turning to mind mapping. Nonetheless, mind mapping application are still too hierarchical, when the aim is to relate everything with everything and have a picture of the whole. Lets say we would like to combine the relationship power of the Brain with the visual appeal of iMindMap, including their late presentation mode, with some refinements. Or to use that hybrid to produce a kind of an uncluttered Cayra (a mindmap freebie), with the power of hybrid.

By: Wallace Tait

Wallace Tait — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:25:22 +0000

Hi Johnd,
I’m a professional Visual mapping consultant, and I can say Amode is going to change the game in the Information management arena.
Multiple modes of information management in a flexible framework, it’s great.
By the way Johnd have you given Amode a whirl yet?

By: johnd

johnd — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:40:41 +0000

I am sorry, but basically this appears to be mainly a product for creating outlines and hyperlinked documents. It seems no better than several other project management web based applications out there and certainly has limited visual mapping capabilities. Am I missing something?