TheBrain Technologies, developer of the popular Personal Brain mind mapping and personal information management tool, recently released version 7 of the program, which has now been rechristened as TheBrain 7. It features enhanced ways to connect and link information within the program’s highly visual user interface.

According to the developer, TheBrain 7 contains over 50 new features and enhancements, including:

Animated, curved links, which make it easier to understand the relationships between pieces of information in your mind maps, plus expanded preferences for formatting topic links. Line widths of up to 15 pixels wide are now supported in version 7. I spent some time working with TheBrain 7, and found that the curved versus straight links of its predecessor don’t make that big of a difference.

Expanded linking and relationship mapping: Links in TheBrain 7 can now have arrows embedded within them to show directionality. Links can also contain notes and attachments, in addition to labels, colors and thickness attributes. This enables TheBrain 7 to be used for concept modeling and enables you to better understand how and why items are connected to each other. Advanced link properties, including direction, one-way links, notes, and attachments, are not available via the Web client.

Maximize plex button: TheBrain 7 workspace – which its developer calls the “plex” – now contains a 4-headed arrow in the upper right corner of the workspace. Clicking on it causes the program’s toolbar and its properties dialog boxes, which line the top and bottom of the screen, respectively, to disappear from view. This enables you to see more of your brain, which should be useful when working with large files or when using TheBrain 7 on a smaller screen.

Calendar improvements: TheBrain 7 can now display multiple-date events, with a black horizontal line spanning multiple days.

Improved integration between the cloud and the desktop program: TheBrain 7 offers tighter integration between the desktop and cloud-based versions of the program. When you first open TheBrain 7, it automatically connects with TheBrain’s online service, and displays all of your local and online brains in a single list, with a screen shot of each. Beneath the file name, TheBrain 7 displays whether a brain is located locally, online or both.

Improved performance and new database back end: Personal Brain never put any limits on how many thoughts a mind map could contain. Users have created maps with as many as 10,000 topics. For version 7, the software’s database back end has been rewritten for improved performance when users are working with large, complex maps.

Pricing for TheBrain 7

TheBrain 7 is offered in two editions: Free and Pro. TheBrain Free is offered at no charge and does not expire. Anyone can link ideas and web pages on their desktop and in the cloud. It doesn’t allow you to add file attachments to your brain, and only provides basic reports and no Outlook integration or printing capabilities. The Pro version offers greater options for formatting your maps, advanced search, secure cloud backup and more. TheBrain Pro is available now for US219; a Pro Combo option enables you to access the program’s cloud services, upgrades and a perpetual license at US$299 the first year, with $159 per year renewals.

Conclusion

If you are a previous user of Personal Brain, I’m not sure if I can categorically recommend that you upgrade to TheBrain 7. If you work with large files with thousands of links or need to create concept maps or other visual diagrams with more “intelligent” links, you may want to consider it. Otherwise, I’m not sure it offers a big enough leap in functionality and cosmetics to make it worth the investment. As I indicated earlier, I’m on the fence regarding curved versus straight topic links. I just don’t think it brings that much new to the table.

NovaMind Software recently released a beta version of NovaMind 5.7 for Windows that has some intriguing new capabilities. Two of them have clear productivity benefits; the third I’m still scratching my head to figure out how it could possibly be used in a business setting.

Format painter

In Microsoft Word, the format painter acts like a smart cut-and-paste, enabling you to copy the formatting from one block of text and then apply it in other parts of your document. It’s a very useful feature, in my opinion. Imagine that capability within a mind mapping environment, and you’ll get the idea of what the developers of NovaMind have accomplished here. This is how the format painter in NovaMind works: You first select a topic, then click on the format painter button (which looks like a paint brush – just like in Word. The cursor changes to resemble a highlighter marker. Any topics you click when the format painter is selected are transformed to match the style of the “donor” topic.

In Microsoft Word, the format painter is designed so that if you click it once, it can only be used to format one block of text, and then it automatically shuts off. However, if you double-click it, it stays “locked” on until you toggle it off, so you can apply the formatting of the “donor” text to multiple blocks of text. I’m pleased to see that NovaMind has decided to mimic this behavior. I tried this feature, and it worked really well. Please see the video above for a demonstration of how this works. It’s pretty slick. The “marker cursor” provides excellent visual feedback, while a single click applies the formatting – no dragging the cursor as you have to do in Word.

New themes added

NovaMind has offered map themes for a while now – pre-set collections of topic, connector line, text and background settings that enable you to change the look of your mind maps very quickly – but version 5.7 adds several new ones, including corkboard and draft (which incorporates the new flexitopics – see below for details). But there’s more that has been enhanced under the hood, if you will – you can now designate themes as favorites and can select one theme to be used as the default for creation of all new maps.

If you are using NovaMind Pro or Platinum, you can create a new theme either from the current mind map or from an existing theme. As the screen shot below shows, NovaMind opens a new “theme view,” which displays a genericized version of a mind map with named elements, and a ribbon toolbar that enables you to adjust any of the map’s properties. You then give your template a name, and save it. That’s all it takes.

I’m impressed with how easy this template editor is to use. Many programs (like the aforementioned Microsoft Word) enable you to create templates, but the process of doing so is somewhat byzantine. In NovaMind 5.7 beta, everything you need is neatly arranged on the toolbar, and the theme name input box is even integrated there. This increases the odds that new users will feel confident to create their own themes.

Flexitopics

The third major enhancement in NovaMind 5.7 beta is something completely new called flexitopics. The format/topic shape menu now contains a new flexitopic option. This converts any topic into a flexible branch with several control handles, which enable you to stretch and reshape it at will. Advanced users can add or delete control points, giving you a very granular level of control over the appearance of your topic lines. This new functionality is tightly integrated with NovaMind 5′s new layout engine, which causes other branches to move out of the way, yet stay fairly close for a compact map layout.

Flexitopics can contain task information, checkboxes and adornment images (NovaMind’s term for icons or symbols); these elements follow the curve of the topic line.

What’s nice is that you can apply flexitopic formatting to any topic, and can create maps with a combination of normal and flexitopic lines. For even greater control. What’s curious to me, however, is how this new capability would be useful in a business setting. Also, NovaMind claims that flexitopics aren’t available in any other mind mapping program. iMindMap has offered a “freehand branch” for some time that enables you to draw complex shaped topic lines, and then manipulate them using control points.

I have now installed this beta version on two computers, and it seems to be very stable. If these enhancements are of interest to you, then you ought to download the beta and try it yourself.

The release of iMindMap 5.4 is the latest in an aggressive series of updates to ThinkBuzan’s mind mapping program. The developer promised earlier in the year that it would be accelerating its product development timetable, and they weren’t kidding. iMindMap 5.2 was released in July and version 5.3 in September – and now version 5.4 has been launched only 2 months later. Here’s what’s most notable about iMindMap 5.4:

New start page: When iMindMap 5.4 first opens, a new start page gives you quick access to your recent maps, any recently synced maps and iMindMap Cloud. If you don’t want to view this page each time you start the program, all you have to do is uncheck a box. I think it’s very useful, especially if you create a lot of maps with iMindMap.

Improvements to SmartLayout: In iMindMap 5.4, SmartLayout has been improved with customizable settings and an instant “clean up” feature. You can determine how the program spaces and shapes your branches. If you click on the new clean-up button, iMindMap will automatically optimize the layout of your map’s branches, equalizing the spacing between them. At the same time, a new auto-shorten function automatically shortens your branches to the length of the text on them, giving you more space and keeping your maps looking neat. This is a big step forward, because new users of iMindMap may find it challenging at times to create neat-looking mind maps. If you mess up the shape and layout of your topics, iMindMap will now help you to improve the look of your map.

Focus in and out: When you focus in on a branch, the program will display only it and its child topics. It’s as if you created a new mind map, with the currently-selected item as your central topics. You can then “focus” on building out that section of your map. When you’re done, focus out returns you to a view of your full mind map. As you may know if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, I love it when programs give you this capability, because it enables you to remove any extraneous distractions from your screen and to turn your full attention to developing one area of your mind map at a time.

ThinkBuzan Cloud launched: This new service gives you online storage of your mind maps. You can save maps from iMindMap on your computer to your online account, and can also access them via iMindMap Online. What’s the relationship between iMindMap Online and ThinkBuzan Cloud? I didn’t have a clue, so I asked Ashleigh Ryman, acting head of marketing at ThinkBuzan, to explain the difference to me. She provided such a clear, concise explanation that we’re going to let her tell us:

“iMindMap Online allows users to log in, create Mind Maps and collaborate with other users. It is an online editor. ThinkBuzan Cloud is where maps from iMindMap Online, and maps synced from iMindMap desktop, are stored. The syncing and storage of iMindMap Online is done through ThinkBuzan Cloud. The difference now is that users can sync between the desktop version on different computers,” she explained.

In the near future, TinkBuzan Cloud will also sync with iMindMap’s iPad and mobile apps. So no matter where you’re using iMindMap, regardless of the platform, you will be able to access your up-to-date maps.

Pinned branches: Branch pins enable you to lock the position of any branch, literally “pinning” it to the surface of the workspace. In other words, as you build your mind map, any pinned branches will remain unaffected by the program’s SmartLayout engine.

Branch ordering: Allows you to alter the sequence in which your topics appear in your maps. In the Windows version of iMindMap, this is accomplished by opening up an outline side panel (see screen shot above). In the Mac version, it is handled via an inspector panel. Branches can be dragged or dropped to new positions in the outline hierarchy, or via a right-click move up/move down command. You can also show or hide ordering icons – numbers that represent the order in which the main branches were created. The same icons are repeated throughout all levels of your mind map, and makes it easy to see the order in which you added content to your maps. Two other buttons appear in this panel, which enable you to synchronize the changes you’ve made in the outline or in your mind map. For a better understanding of how branch ordering works, you may want to watch this video tutorial:

After giving this approach of branch ordering some deep thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that this enhanced outline view really isn’t needed. Why should I care what order I entered my major topics into my map as long as I can move them exactly where I want them? Even a large, complex map can be collapsed so that only first-level topics are visible. You can then drag and drop the branch you want to move to its new location. Simple. Done.

Displaying the mind map and outline side by side with ordering icons and two options for synchonizing changes between the two view will probably confuse the hell out of a lot of people, particularly the new users. I had a hard time understanding why I should use it, even after watching the video tutorial for it. I’m not trying to poop on this functionality – I just don’t understand why it’s needed.

Styles: A new set of 24 map styles enables you to quickly change the look of your mind maps created in iMindMap 5.4. It adjusts branch colors to different sets of attractive, complementary colors, along with corresponding text styles and branch shapes. Compared to other mind mapping programs, the majority of these styles are very attractive. This is a real time-saver for new users, who just want to get their thoughts down on screen, and don’t want to waste a lot of time reformatting branches. This feature, along with the SmartLayout clean-up, makes creating professional-looking mind maps a snap.

Child maps: As of iMindMap 5.3, released in September, you can now create a child map from the selected topic. This creates a new mind map, and adds a link to it from the topic you have selected. Nice! I’m a big fan of this kind of functionality. But normally you realize that you need to create a child map after one branch of your map becomes large and unwieldy. It’s not something you can usually plan ahead for. Would the child map command work on an existing branch? I tried it, and to my surprise, it did – very useful!

Streamlined product offering: As of the launch of iMindMap 5.4, ThinkBuzan has simplified its product line to 3 versions:

• Ultimate – The premium version of the product, focused upon the needs of business people
• Basic – A free version of iMindMap that is useful for basic mapping.
• iMindMap Home & Student – This replaces MindMap Elements. In the process, it takes on much of the functionality previously found in iMindMap Pro, but at a lower price – which should make it more attractive to families and educators.

Conclusion

iMindMap 5.4 has made some great strides since the last time I looked at it. I applaud ThinkBuzan’s commitment to rapid improvement of it, and found most of the new and improved features add value to the program. Branch ordering is the lone exception – I’m still not sure why I should use it, and what the benefits are of doing so. But since I’m so deeply immersed in visual mapping software, it’s hard to look at this with a beginner’s mind. There may be some reason that new users find it an easier way to reorganize their map topics.

iMindMap 5.4 is a free upgrade to existing users of iMindMap 5. If you’d like to see what all the excitement is about, you can download a trial of iMindMap Basic for free, and can play around with the full iMindMap Ultimate feature set for 7 days before it reverts to Basic configuration. TO download this program, please click here.

MindMapper 12 was recently launched by SimTech Systems. It strengthens this program’s position as a solid mind mapping program for business. Here are the most significant new and improved features and my thoughts on them:

Project management: MindMapper 12′s project management toolset has been significantly expanded. Tasks can be shown in a new schedule view, which is a Gantt chart. Topics are displayed on the left side of the schedule, along with start and end dates and planned and actual costs. The next section of the table displays resources (people and equipment assigned to the project), their cost (per hour or unit cost) the planned and actual hours they have put into the project and the cost implications (rate multiplied by time). The final part of the table displays the task durations in a Gantt view. The horizontal bars in the Gantt chart automatically display what the developer calls their “achievement” rate – the percentage of task completed – in visual form. The percentage complete is depicted in a striped pattern, as shown at right. It’s a great way to communicate this information visually.

When you add schedule data to a map topic, it gives you the option of inserting  dependencies, right in the map view. This is depicted as a relationship line, and is displayed as a connecting line in the Gantt view.

Presentation mode: Three presentation options are now offered in MindMapper 12:

• “Brief with outline” displays your map as a hierarchical outline in a narrow vertical panel on the left side of the screen. If you click on a low-level subtopic, it is highlighted in the map view to the right, while all other topics are dimmed. You navigate through your presentation by clicking on the points in the outline.
• In the “brief with scenario” option, the program displays larger chunks of your map at one time. The developer defines a “scenario” as one logical unit of the mind map – usually one topic of the map plus its subtopics. Both modes provide your audience with an important sense of context – in other words, they show how the topic you’re currently viewing is related to the rest of the map.
• The third mode, which is simply called “play slide,” expands the topic to fill the screen without any other interface elements displayed. The program gives you several options, which enable you to select a range of slides to present from, as well as set up a delay function so your presentation can run by itself – useful for locations like sales displays and trade show booths.

Table conversion feature: When this new command is selected, all of the sub-topics below it are converted into a table. The program enables you to select from a number of table styles and templates. I’m not sure how I would ever use such a feature; think of it as a different way of presenting the lower-level content of your map in a more linear form.

Field topics: This interesting new feature enhances your ability to create records and capture data in them. Think of a field topic as a fill-in-the-blank record capture. When you convert a topic into a field, the original text (address, for example) is grayed out and you can enter data into it (the person’s actual address). This gives you a way to easily capture simple data in your maps, while ensuring that it is entered in a consistent format (see screen capture).

Enhanced printing: One of the complaints of mind mapping software is that printing large maps can be ponderous. If you try to print one of these monsters on a single page, the text is so small that it’s unreadable. The alternative is to print your map across multiple pages, but you’re usually at the mercy of the way that the program decides to divide your map into separate pages. Not so with MindMapper 12. It solves this challenge by giving you an improved set of printing options. For example, you can move your map freely around the print canvas to position it exactly as you want it. You can change the level of print zoom, and perform physical and logical partitioning of pages. With the physical partition, you select the percentage zoom and how many pages horizontally and vertically your mind map should be printed on. With the logical partition, the program does it for you, based upon the first-level topics.

Collaboration: Sim Tech Systems, the developer of MindMapper 12, has launched an online collaboration service, which enables you to conduct online meetings with other MindMapper users, and to share and co-edit your maps with them. To utilize this feature, you must subscribe to the MindMapper Collaboration service. Packages are available that enable up to 5 or 20 people to participate in an online meeting.

A voting tool gives you a structured way to get input from meeting participants, while a report window enables you to see who contributed which content to the map. At any point during the online meeting, the organizer can take a “snapshot” of the map, which can be used to roll it back to a previous state – useful if you don’t like the direction the meeting is headed. I like the way the developer has implemented this feature; snapshots are much more manageable than trying to roll back the map one step at a time to a state that is 200 changes back, for example. As the meeting organizer, however, it’s up to you to remember to take snapshots throughout the meeting. This is an excellent feature!

If you don’t own a licensed copy of MindMapper 12, you can still participate in an online meeting, utilizing a web version of the program called iMindMapper. It requires Internet Explorer and administrative privileges to download and install an ActiveX control on your computer.

Upload to Twitter: MindMapper 12 gains a simple social media feature. You can select a topic and upload it to your Twitter feed. This may be useful if you want to plan a campaign of tweets. You could use it to launch these brief messages, one at a time. It would be nice if tweets could be scheduled, so you could set up and automatically deploy a tweet campaign from within MindMapper. A future capability, perhaps?

MindMapper Mobile for Android: An Android version of MindMapper was also released at the same time as version 12, along with a web folder application, so the mobile and desktop versions of MindMapper can exchange maps. It’s a free download and is available in the Android Market.

Ideation meeting templates: MindMapper 12 has a new tab in its ribbon toolbar called “ideation.” Within it, you can use a number of techniques to capture ideas, including:

• Radiant association
• Attribute listing
• Processing planning
• Cause and effect (fishbone mapping)
• Backward thinking
• SWOT analysis
• Forced connections

When you click on an ideation technique, the program displays a sample map (see screen shot above) – which is very helpful if you don’t know anything about some of these methods – while a vertical pane on the right side of the screen displays some explanatory text and a simple step-by-step procedure to use the technique. It also contains links to completed examples of each map type.

It’s nice to see this level of support for idea development and creative problem solving in MindMapper 12. The number of ideation techniques included is impressive. I also like the fact that the developers weren’t satisfied to just provide the tools, expecting you to figure them out. It actually explains how to employ them and gives you sample maps to help you visualize what to do.

Conclusion

Sim Tech only releases upgrades to MindMapper every two to three years. But usually, the wait it worth it, and MindMapper 12 is no exception. The program’s expanded business toolset should make it attractive to many executives. It offers an extensive array of capabilities that are equal to almost any business task you could think of, but arranges them in a logical, easy-to-use way. That’s a fine balance that’s not easy to achieve.

My favorite capabilities in this new version include the rollback capability of the online collaboration space, as well as the clever implementation of its brainstorming techniques. A lot of thought has obviously gone into how to make this program easy for people to use, without a big learning curve.

MindMapper 12 Professional is available from the Sim Tech Systems website and it costs $249.

MindMaple is an impressive new mind mapping software program for Windows that aims to meet the needs of business people. This is a solid product that delivers excellent value, and packs an incredible amount of functionality into a polished, easy-to-use package that will meet most people’s needs.

Here’s what’s most notable in this new program:

“Grow” your map topics: To add topics to a map in MindMaple, you drag your mouse outward from the current topic, similar to iMindMap. This gives MindMaple a bit of an organic mapping feel. This isn’t just a gimmick, however. It was designed with Windows-based tablet devices in mind, where you use your finger to “grow” new topics out of any existing one.

You can also add a topics or sub-topics using toolbar buttons or the insert key. It’s nice to see that MindMaple has adopted this de facto standard for adding topics. The developer says MindMaple strikes a balance between allowing you to place topics anywhere, while also providing the right amount of structure so that you can quickly produce professional-looking mind maps. I like being able to fine tune the appearance of my mind maps, and found that the program let me move topics around without any significant restrictions.

Keyboard shortcuts are also supported for adding content to your mind maps, a real productivity enhancer. In addition to the standard “INS” key to add a child topic, you can use keyboard shortcuts to add sibling and parent topics, enabling you to quickly build out a mind map to capture your thoughts.

One thing that takes a little getting used to is that you can’t just move your mouse cursor over a topic and drag to move it – because that creates a new sibling topic. Instead, when you hover over a topic, a 4-headed arrow appears, floating above it. If you drag that around, the topic will move with it.

Snap to grid: One unique feature of MindMaple that is found in many graphic design programs is the ability to display a grid within the workspace, and then “snap” objects to it. This enables you to quickly and easily align objects horizontally or vertically. I like my topics to be aligned in most of the mind maps I create. Normally that requires me to group select the topics I want to align and then to apply a command to right or left align them. With MindMaple, when “snap to grid” is turned on, topics can be perfectly placed relative to each other. This is a real time-saver!

What’s especially nice is that the gridline isn’t really a set of intersecting lines – rather, it’s a set of gray dots. Why is this significant? It helps you align topics without creating a lot of visual clutter. Why hasn’t anyone else thought of this feature before? It’s a real plus in my opinion!

Topic embellishments: MindMaple enables you to add attachments, hyperlinks, notes and comments to your map topics. Boundaries are also supported, in a variety of shapes, borders and background colors. Topics can also be bookmarked and tagged. Topics and boundaries can have call-outs, which add meaning and context to the items to which they point. In addition, topics can have solid and gradient files, plus texture and picture fills. Topics can also be embellished with shadows. The shadow dialog box provides a nice array of pre-set shadow styles, but also lets you customize their appearance to a surprising degree.

Image placement: Images may be placed above, below, right or left of the topic to which they’re attached. An advanced “alignment” menu within the topic formatting dialog box gives you the option of up to 12 positions around the topic – very cool!

For a version 1.0 product, MindMaple provides a surprising level of topic placement control. In the format shape/layout dialog box, for example, you can specify the size of the topic shape, its outside margins and distance between it and parent and sibling topics.

Intelligent ribbon toolbar: One of the challenges for new users of mind mapping software is an over-abundance of choices. Ribbon-style toolbars expose nearly everything you can do to add content to a mind map or modify it to the user, which can be very overwhelming to new users. MindMaple uses a clever solution to this challenge: Context-sensitive ribbon tabs. For example, the “design tools” tab doesn’t appear until you have a topic selected. And it appears above the “style” tab, in a format that is much like the context-sensitive ribbon tabs in Microsoft Office (see image at right).

This approach makes the program more manageable for new users, while still providing fast access to commands when you need them. In any program, context-sensitive menus are always appreciated, because they reduce visual clutter. Thumbs up to MindMaple for employing them here. One other thing abou the ribbon toolbar: It can be collapsed to open up more screen real estate – helpful when you’re working with large mind maps.

Task management: MindMaple includes a full set of task management functions, including the ability add start and due dates, percentage complete, duration and resources. Task data is visually displayed in a pastel-colored rectangle below each topic.

Export capabilities: MindMaple offers an imppressive selection of export formats, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, text, HTML and image files. PDF export is also supported in the paid version of the program.

Styling your mind map: The style tab gives you access to 42 pre-set topic styles – more than I would have expected in the first release of a mind mapping program. You can also customize your own fill and outline settings. The program also gives you access to a similar number of branch styles, with different colors, weights and line styles. Once again, you can set your own, if you’re so inclined.

Relationship lines are also supported. The process of adding one is very simple – simply select the first topic, click on the destination topic and the two are immediately connected. A pair of grab handles give you some control over its shape, while a context-sensitive “relationship” tab gives you extensive control over the style of the line – using pre-sets once again – or lets you customize just about every aspect of the line’s appearance, including the ability to select a bezier curve, straight, curved or angled line shape. Holy cow! This isn’t what I’ve come to expect from a version 1.0 product!

Map types: In addition to the typical radial mind map, you can also use the program’s “growth direction” tool to create right and left-facing maps and trees, as well as up, down and split org charts. Sibling and child spacing can be adjusted to create compact or open map layouts. Once again, these are features I’m used to seeing on high-end programs, not version 1.0 of a new program.

Conclusion

MindMaple has carved out a place in between the basic, no-frills mind mapping programs (like FreeMind and XMind) and higher-end, more expensive programs (like MindManager, NovaMind and MindView). It offers a surprising amount of functionality for a brand-new program, yet still maintains excellent ease of use.

Typically, new developers launch a fairly basic program, and then rely on user input to quickly improve it. The developers of MindMaple have stepped up to the plate and are swinging for the fence, to draw upon a baseball analogy. This is a solid program that will meet the needs of most beginner and intermediate visual mappers. While I was using it, I did not experience any quirks or bugs that I’ve come to expect in new software programs. It worked efficiently, without any problems.

MindMaple’s biggest challenge is likely to be differentiating itself enough to succeed in a very crowded market. But if this first version of MindMaple is any indication, I think it’s going to give the established developers of mind mapping software a real run for their money.

MindMaple is available for purchase from the developer’s website for US$199.

I’ve always been a fan of theRealizer, a brainstorming plug-in for MindManager (read my review of it from 2008 here). So when I learned that Mindjet integrated this terrific process-driven brainstorming tool into MindManager 2012, I was very excited. So I asked Michael Deutch at Mindjet to give me a deeper dive into how they expanded and improved it. Much has changed, which is why we’re going to take a closer look at it.

Deutch emphasized that Mindjet’s development team worked closely with the Realize AB, the Swedish company who developed theRealizer. This company specializes in doing facilitated brainstorming sessions, and Mindjet wanted to be sure to leverage their expertise to make this the best possible ideation tool for business users.

This brainstorming tool consists of three stages:

1. Define challenge

It’s been said that a problem clearly defined is already half solved. Accordingly, the challenge phase of this brainstorming tool helps you to accurately define the problem or challenge for which you want to brainstorm ideas. The program ships with a set of over 60 predefined challenge statements, categorized into product development, marketing, sales, organization and individual categories. theRealizer add-in only contained nine challenge cards, so this is a major expansion.

Adding a challenge to your mind map is simple: Select one statement and click the “add to map” button. The idea here is that once you’ve added your challenge statement to the map, you then add topics and sub-topics to it where you explore how to address your challenge. Sometimes, this deep exploration of your challenge can reveal a deeper problem that you didn’t realize existed. Perhaps you were trying to solve the wrong problem. Or it may lead to some useful ideas, even before you get to the actual brainstorming stage.

If you want to modify the wording of an existing challenge statement or add your own to the set that MindManager 2012′s brainstorming tool displays each time you use it, you simply click on the “edit” button. The challenge list becomes editable text, and you can delete, add, modify or regroup challenges with complete freedom.

If you want to create your own challenge, a separate “custom challenge” tab gives you fields to enter your own challenge statement and some notes about it. The note becomes a topic note attached to your challenge topic, as you would expect.

The challenges section of this brainstorming tool also contains a visual element: Over 600 challenge cards, which look something like cards you’d expect to find in a deck of playing cards. Each challenge card contains an image and a statement – such as “Describe a picture of success. What do you need to get there?” with a picture of a set of legs and feet standing in first place on the winner’s stand after an athletic event. Clicking on an information button below the card “flips” it over and displays a suggestion on how to utilize its message. Cards can also be designated as favorites by clicking on a star icon. Once you’ve selected one or more cards as favorites, a separate set of navigation arrows appears on screen, enabling you to browse only your favorite challenge cards.

One neat enhancement that Mindjet made for MindManager 2012 was to enable users to increase the size of the challenge cards on screen. The cards can be opened in a separate window, which displays them at roughly twice the normal size. This is useful for anyone who is facilitating a group brainstorming session or web-based meeting, so that their text can be clearly viewed on screen.

2. Generate ideas

When they adapted theRealizer to MindManager 2012, the developers at Mindjet modified the idea entry form to enable quick entry. When you click on the “enter ideas” button, a dialog box pops up, where you can quickly type your ideas, hit the enter key and immediately type your next idea. I tried it, and it was very fast! This is ideal for group brainstorming sessions, where ideas are often flying fast, and you need to be able to record them just as quickly.

This stage of the brainstorming process contains three types of cards:

Questions: These cards are based on SCAMPER, a brainstorming technique that asks you to perform different actions on your idea – for example, minimize it, put it to other uses or rearrange its parts. SCAMPER is one of the world’s best known and most proven brainstorming techniques, so it’s good to see it here.

Images: Image cards contain a question and an image. They appeal to a different part of the brain, and encourage users to engage in out of the box thinking.

Words: Word cards, as their name implies, contain a single word. They function as random thinking prompts, and should lead your creative problem solving efforts in new directions. MindManager 2012 contains 500 word-based idea cards, substantially more than theRealizer did.

Idea cards follow a similar format to the challenge cards, with the ability to display them in a larger format in a separate window and to designate cards as favorites and then navigate them easily. theRealizer enabled users of this plug-in to edit these cards, but Mindjet decided to eliminate this feature to keep things easier for users.

3. Categorize and refine

By the time you reach this stage, your mind map should now be full of ideas. Your next step is to organize and improve them. MindManager 2012 enables you to create 4 types of branches to categorize your ideas: Do it!, Investigate, Save, Trash. The idea behind this scheme is that you add these smart topics to your map and then drag and drop the ideas you’ve generated to them.
MindManager 2012′s brainstorming tool also contains four different tools for further refining and classifying ideas:

• Idea refinement terms
• Opportunities
• SWOT analysis (strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats)
• Time management

Selecting one of these evaluation tools adds all of its associated keywords to your mind map as a group. An edit button opens up a dialog box that enables you to modify the five existing idea improvement methods or add your own. This could be very useful if your firm has a standard procedure or set of criteria-based screens for evaluating ideas. You could include them in this toolset, or eliminate the pre-installed ones and just present your organization’s proprietary method.

Conclusion

Mindjet has made impressive improvements to this brainstorming tool, and has integrated it tightly into MindManager 2012. In the past, a lot of people made claims that mind mapping was an excellent creative tool. Now that’s true in spades, thanks to this refined and expanded toolset in the latest version of MindManager.

Why have I spent so much time analyzing this brainstorming tool? Because creative ideas are more important than ever today. There are many brainstorming tools and techniques available to you today, but most of them only do one thing – serve as a catalyst to help you generate ideas. What I like about this tool is the fact that it wraps an entire process around the act of brainstorming – from clearly defining your challenge to refining and evaluating your ideas, so you can quickly identify the best ones for implementation (and which then can be managed as projects within the same software program!).

As part of Mindjet’s intensified focus on collaboration and team communication, MindManager 2012 was officially released today. It picks up some new features that help to support this direction, as well as some others designed to enhance the experience for new users of MindManager.

Here’s is a summary of the most significant new and enhanced features of MindManager 2012:

Helping new users get started faster

Redesigned ribbon toolbar: Mindjet has redesigned the toolbar in MindManager 2012 to place 80-90 percent of the most commonly-used features on the home tab. This makes it easier for new users to find the commands they’re looking for without leaving this tab, and should also speed the work of all users.

Video guides: The new program ships with a set of video guides (above) that appear in a panel on the left side of the work space, which explain how to perform common tasks with the program, as well as tips on what types of tasks it can be used for.

Right-hand tabs: The set of tabs on the right-hand side of the work space, which give access to icons, images, smart map parts and task data, are hidden by default for new users. The developer’s intent is to reduce the amount of visual clutter on the screen, which tends to confuse new users. They can be turned back on by clicking on the small folder icon in the lower right corner of the work space. Mindjet officials say that if you are upgrading from an earlier version, this “newbie” feature will be turned off – in other words, if you had tabs visible, they will still be there after you upgrade to the 2012 version.

Integration with online gallery: MindManager 2012 also displays mind maps from the developer’s growing MapsForThat.com map gallery, giving users access to hundreds of additional examples and starting points they can adapt for their own projects. In the template viewer, maps are categorized by type, with thumbnail images and explanations in a panel next to them. It was very slick to be able to drill down through this great collection of maps, which displayed and loaded quickly over a high-speed internet connection.

New users of mind mapping software almost always need some inspiration, according to my surveys. They want to see what others are doing with it. This integrated viewer is an awesome way to bring these map examples to users of MindManager 2012, within the program itself.

Longer term, Mindjet plans to make it possible to upload maps directly from MindManager to MapsForThat. If you want to be a thought leader in the mind mapping space, now’s the time to take MapsForThat seriously. As usage of the new version grows, your mind maps will be accessible to thousands of users worldwide!

Brainstorming capabilities

One of the most exciting new developments in MindManager 2012, at least for me (because I also write about creativity tools and software on InnovationTools.com) is the program’s new brainstorming feature. The developer licensed an add-in called TheRealizer (click here to read my review of it), and significantly expanded and improved it, with the help of the firm that created it. It now offers users of MindManager a process for defining a problem or challenge, generating ideas and evaluating them.

The program ships with predefined challenges; you can also create your own. Stimulation is provided by a large collection of question, image and word cards, which are designed to get your mind thinking in fresh, new directions. Finally, ideas can be categorized using a set of pre-defined idea types – or, once again, you can add your own types. Plus, MindManager 2012 provides a number of methods for refining your ideas, including Edward de Bono’s 6 Thinking Hats and attribute analysis. This is bound to be a powerful tool for many users of MindManager 2012.

Watch this blog for a separate post on this new feature. I interviewed Michael Deutch from Mindjet to learn more about how, specifically, this new toolset compares to TheRealizer. I was pleasantly surprised at just how far the team has expanded it. More details to come!

Real-time collaboration

MindManager 2012 will fully integrate with the new Connect workspace (see here for my coverage of it) and its CoHuman social task management component. A basic Connect account is free; Users of the desktop program and web client will be able to co-edit mind maps in real time; Mindjet says they plan to extend this capability to all of its mind map clients, regardless of platform – which means you will be able to co-edit maps from their mobile apps as well.

From within the program, I was able to use my Mindjet login as a springboard to create a new Connect account. I then signed into it from MindManager, created a simple map and saved it to Connect. It all worked very smoothly.

Other productivity enhancements

Multiple hyperlinks and attachments per topic: This is something that Mindjet has needed to do for a while, and I’m glad to see it in the 2012 version. I tried adding two random attachments to a topic in the program. The minute I added a second attachment, the paperclip icon gained a down arrow next to it, which can be used to display and select the list of attachments.

Enhanced integrated web browser: Since the integrated web browser debuted in MindManager several years ago, I have been disappointed that I couldn’t drag and drop content from web pages into my mind maps. MindManager 2012 will now support this capability. Also, Mindjet has added a home page icon to the browser’s toolbar, to make it more like a full desktop browser.

Improved power filter: MindManager’s power filter has always been an excellent tool. It’s just not that easy to figure out how to use at first glance. To address this issue, Mindjet has equipped its latest version of MindManager with a number of pre-set filters (above). This will help to transform the power filter from a tool only for power users into one that anyone can benefit from.

Powermarkers added: This is another tool that formerly was a plug-in for MindManager, but now has been integrated into the core functionality of the program. This tool extracts all of the task data contained in your mind map, and displays it in a vertical panel on the right side of the workspace. In other words, no matter where tasks are physically located within your mind maps, they will be visible to you in the Powermarkers sidebar, helping you to easily see your top priorities. The Powermarkers view is interactive: If you mark a task complete in your map, it will disappear from the Powermarkers view.

New map smart parts connect with online services: MindManager 2012 desktop and the web client will gain new map smart parts that will enable you to query popular online services like Twitter, Linkedin and Bing, as well as integration with Evernote, a popular personal information management tool (in which this post is being written, BTW!). In phase 1 of the Evernote integration, MindManager Web will be able to push information from your mind maps to Evernote. Longer term, you will be able to query your Evernote database and pull selected information from it into your maps.

With the map open in MindManager Web that I originally created in the desktop version of the program, I selected a first-level topic and clicked on the Export to Evernote button. A dialog box popped up with a set of radio buttons, giving me options: I could format the topic and its subtopics as an outline or an image (Evernote is very adept at handling both). For the outline, it provided a set a set of radio buttons to enable me to select the current topic, the current topic plus children, the map’s central topic and subtopic, or the complete map, including any floating topics. The dialog box also gave me the ability to edit the note title, the notebook to which it will be saved, tags and any additional comments. When you send it, a black, rectangular status box pops up to verify that the content you specified was sent to Evernote. That’s good interface design, especially when you have an action taking place that’s not visible to the user.

When I opened my Evernote account, I found a new note with the specified content, plus a link back to its exact location within Connect. I didn’t expect to see this last element, but considering that Mindjet now enables guest views of your map content, I guess it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The process worked just as well for an image export to Evernote. In fact, it was very cool to see my mind map within this app, which I use heavily as an idea file and writing platform.

I also tried out the Twitter smart map part, and found it to be a another slick enhancement. You enter a search term and specify the number of results; MindManager quickly displays the latest tweets that match your search term, with meta data stored in a map note. I can see how this could be an awesome research tool.

The Linkedin map part searches your contacts, and displays any matching results. I can see how this would be useful if you’re looking for someone with a specific type of expertise – say, for example, “innovation.” You can quickly pull their contact information into your mind map, without having to open a web browser, navigate to Linkedin, login and perform the search there. Very cool! It’s great to see that after the idea of smart map parts wasn’t expanded in MindManager 9, it’s finally starting to show more promise – and a welcome social media focus – in version 2012!

Enhanced Sharepoint integration: Last year, Mindjet launched a Sharepoint-enabled version of MindManager that could query multiple Sharepoint databases at one time. Concurrent with the launch of MindManager 2012, Mindjet will release MindManager 2012 SP, which further enhances the program’s integration with this commonly-used enterprise information management tool. The new version adds a capability called MapShare, which will enable users of Sharepoint to view mind maps within this environment. In addition, users will be able to create mind maps from within Sharepoint, starting later this year. This product will also be integrated with Mindjet Connect.

For more details, please visit the MindManager 2012 Professional web page on the Mindjet website.

Conclusion

Mindjet is getting very aggressive at targeting the needs of enterprises, where teams are more frequently dispersed across multiple locations. Economic conditions have forced work groups to rely more on remote collaboration tools, which haven’t usually addressed all of their needs. As part of a larger collaboration and team communication framework, MindManager 2012 promises some impressive new gains in efficiency and productivity.

Even if you don’t need the Connect workspace, there appears to be much to like about MindManager 2012. I’m thrilled to see that brainstorming is now integrated into the program, for example. I’ve been saying for a long time that mind mapping software is a powerful creativity tool, because it enables you to capture your ideas, see connections between them, and build upon them. Now, Mindjet makes it possible to generate ideas from within the program.

I also applaud the steps that the developer is taking to make the program easier to use. Like many high-end mind mapping programs, MindManager can be daunting to first-time users. That’s a problem in enterprise environments, where the IT department doesn’t want to be answering a lot of “how do I do this?” questions. The program needs to be intuitive enough so users can figure out how to grow beyond the basics on their own, for the most part. If Mindjet can succeed in enabling newbies to get up to speed faster, as well as expose them to the types of applications for which MindManager can be used, it will have a major accomplishment on its hands.

Mindjet Connect

Mindjet Connect, announced earlier this week and available for the end of September, bears some resemblance to the developers existing Catalyst online document sharing and workspace application, including a web-based version of MindManager.

The biggest change with Connect, however, is expanded sharing: You can now invite an unlimited number of guests to collaborate on a mind map on an ad hoc basis, regardless of whether or not they have a Connect account. This will be a fully-functioning version of Connect and MindManager Web, not a “crippled” version for free users. In addition, a basic Connect account will be free. A business version will also be offered with more online storage space.

Also new is that new versions of the company’s mobile mapping solutions – its apps for iPad and iPhone – will be Connect enabled, so that users of these apps will be able to check out mind maps, edit them and then check them back in. In addition, these apps are now free, to encourage greater use. In the first 2 days after Mindjet’s mobile apps were changed to free apps, they were downloaded over 150,000 times.

Mindjet’s goal with this new direction is to open up mind mapping to an expanded universe of potential users, and to remove any potential barriers to adoption of its visual thinking solutions. “We want to focus on enabling communication and sharing, rather than ‘buy now,’” explains Mindjet CEO Scott Raskin.

MindManager Web will soon be enhanced with a rich web API, which will enable it to integrate with Google, Bing, Twitter, Linkedin and Evernote, which will enhance the value of this web-based mind mapping tool for information gathering and research. Users will be able to search these web services from within MindManager Web, and then pull data from them into their mind maps.

A basic Mindjet Connect account will be free; a business account will run you only US$15 per month and provides additional online storage. For existing customers of Mindjet Catalyst, the software developer has already announced on its blog that it will offer a migration plan to Connect later this year.

CoHuman acquisition

CoHuman is a provider of social task management. it’s a web-based application that enables teams to share information about projects and tasks and to share task assignments and status updates, in a familiar Twitter-like “stream.” You can assign people to tasks, follow people and tasks, obtain task status, and streamline project communication. Streams can be filtered and viewed in a number of flexible ways. The acquisition of CoHuman addresses the need to have a holistic view of all of your projects, without having to open multiple mind maps.

Initially, CoHuman will be run as a companion to Connect, but later this year, it will be fully integrated with Connect. Mindjet’s plan is to enable its mind mapping clients and CoHuman with two-way live communication, so that you can “push” task updates from MindManager to your CoHuman account and vice versa.

In this blog, we’ve talked from time to time about the Great Divide of mind mapping: Those people who are more left-brained and creative instinctively “get” it and love thinking in a non-linear fashion. But there’s another large group of pragmatic, linear, right-brained thinkers who view mind mapping is frivolous, not as a serious business tool. I asked the Mindjet team if the integration between MindManager, Connect and CoHuman will help to bridge this gap? The response was “definitely.”

What does this mean? Managers who prefer to view project and task information in a more tabular, linear format will feel right at home in CoHuman, and will still be able to manage project communication, without touching a mind map. Those who do feel comfortable with mind maps will work within MindManager. The project and task data will flow seamlessly between the two formerly disparate worlds.

Mindjet Connect and CoHuman will be available starting on September 22nd. The new versions of the Mindjet iPad and iPhone apps have already been released and are available via the Apple AppStore.

Conclusion

I applaud Mindjet’s change in direction – that is, offering Connect accounts, its mobile apps and access to collaborative map editing for free. This should open up the opportunity for many more people to experience and learn about the benefits of visual mapping and collaboration. The CoHuman acquisition is also very significant, because it bridges some important gaps in small team project communications, and lets people view data in a format that works best for them.

I can’t wait to see how this all comes together and evolves over the next few years. It will definitely be very interesting!

NovaMind Software released NovaMind 5 for Mac last week, which has been rebuilt from the ground up with many innovative new features that no one else on this platform offers. This new version represents the most significant upgrade to NovaMind for Mac in its history.

Here’s what’s new in this innovative mind mapping program:

Because a lot of the changes have to do with map design flexibility, we’re going to take a closer look at those new capabilities in particular:

New layout engine: NovaMind 5 for Mac has been rebuilt with the same layout engine as the Windows version of the program, which makes very efficient use space and automatically repositions topics to minimize wasted space. NovaMind goes further than this, and allows you to arrange the subtopics of any topic either linearly or radially, at any angle – all while keeping the mind map automatically in the most compact format possible. In addition, NovaMind allows you to move any topic to where you want it, while still ensuring that topics don’t overlap each other and maintaining the compact layout.

Automatic design support: Many users of mind mapping software don’t want to mess with styling and coloring topics. They just want to be able to capture and organize their ideas quickly, and create a beautiful-looking mind map with a minumum of hassle. NovaMind 5 for Mac enables with a number of design support systems that operate quietly in the background as you build and edit your mind map. In other words, apart from setting things up the way you want them to start with, the colors and shapes and layout of the topics is automatic.

The first tier of this system is themes. Themes provide an overall design for the mind maps, and are made up of a series of settings that apply to topics, callouts, floating topics, and shapes. The theme system allows you to change the overall look and feel of your mind map in a single operation, while keeping any custom settings you have added. And any new topics you add to your map adhere to the theme settings.

Each theme comes with a color set, which defines a set of colors that are designed to go well together. These color set colors allow you to create great looking mind maps even if you don’t have an artistic bone in your body. If you want to experiment with a different look, you can just change the color set that you are using, and all the colors change to their equivalent colors in the new color set. The same applies for font sets, so with a couple of simple changes in settings, you can update the look of your mind map, while maintaining design consistency.

The next level of automatic design support is automatic coloring, which includes theme-based coloring, as well as “rainbow coloring” and a completely new concept, called array coloring – where you set up an array of colors, and NovaMind cycles through them for the children topics. This means you can do things like having subtopics colored in alternating colors, or cycle through three or more topic colors automatically. I’ve used the rainbow coloring in NovaMind 5 for Windows, and really like it a lot. I’m pleased to see that the developer has taken this idea one step further with array coloring (also available in the latest version of NovaMind 5 for Windows) – which gives you much greater control over the appearance of your mind maps.

NovaMind 5 for Mac also allows you to design a topic the way you want it to look, and selectively get the subtopics to inherit the shape, fill, or line settings, to again automatically set the design of the topics you have added. It even automatically colors the text so that it uses light colored text if the background it is drawn on is dark, and dark text if it is on a light background. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve recolored topics in other mind mapping programs, and then have had to recolor the text because it blended in too much with the topic’s color. It’s great to see that NovaMind’s development team has this handled!

Redesigned topics: NovaMind has redesigned everything about topics, too, in version 5 to give you another level of freedom in customizing the look of your mind maps. For example, you can now have up to 4 images on each topic (which are positioned using a very clever quadrant indicator), multiple hyperlinks and attachments per topic, 10 different topic types plus custom topics where you can change the shape of your topic to create something completely unique. And you can make it more interesting by using the gradient fills, shadows, reflections, glassy look, texture images and more.

You can attach free floating shapes, images and text to topics. There is no need for the topic to finish at the topic boundary – you can enhance the topic with as many shapes as you like. They can be in front of or behind the topics, and can either push other topics out of the way or float behind or in front of the other topics. All the shapes can have text and images on them, allowing you an incredible amount of flexibility to enhance your topics.

iCal integration: NovaMind 5 for Mac now enables you to synchronize checkboxes in your mind map with to-do items in iCal and tasks with events in iCal. It allows you to use the full features of iCal, such as setting alarms, and sharing calendars in order to keep up to date with tasks, which can be particularly useful for businesses using NovaMind.

Cross platform support: The Windows and Mac versions of NovaMind 5 use the same file format, and same license keys, but the programs themselves are developed using native technologies on each operating system, to provide the best user experience. For instance, the Windows version uses the Ribbon bar, which is familiar to Windows users, while the Mac version uses inspectors and toolbars which are familiar to Mac users.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion support: While NovaMind 5 will run on MacOS X 10.5 and 10.6, they have come right out of the blocks with full Mac OS X 10.7 Lion support, with built in support for Resume, Autosave, Autosave in place, Versions, and Full Screen mode. In addition, NovaMind plays nicely with other applications, importing images from iPhoto, Aperture, and Lightroom, contacts from Address Book and links to Mail messages.

There are three editions of NovaMind: Express, Pro, and Platinum, designed to suit the needs of customers from individuals and schools, through small and medium sized business right up to large businesses.

NovaMind 4 users have been waiting for NovaMind 5 for quite some time, but the wait appears to have been worth it. NovaMind 5 for Mac (and Windows) are light years ahead of version 4. The development team continues to show a lot of innovative thinking that is reflected in practical, time-saving features and intuitive operation. Specifically, the program is designed to look after the layout and graphical design of your mind maps automatically – so you can concentrate on the content.

For more information about NovaMind 5 for Mac, please visit the developer’s website.

Twitter intergration has finally come to the world of mind mapping software, thanks to CS Odessa’s new MindTweet plug-in for ConceptDraw MINDMAP 7. This new tool enables you to brainstorm, organize and send Twitter messages from within the program.

MindTweet is available from the ConceptDraw Solution Park; it’s a free download. The app installs a new Twitter icon in the program’s main toolbar. Before you can use MindTweet, you must login to your Twitter account and authorize the app to communicate with it. Once that’s done, all you have to do is select a topic in your mind map, click on the Twitter icon and a dialog box pops up, containing the text of your tweet. It also displays the number of characters left out of the 140 maximum that Twitter allows. You can then edit your tweet as needed and send it. Before doing so, if you check the “done” box in the corner of the dialog box, MindTweet will automatically add a checkbox icon to that topic – giving you a visual indication that this tweet has been sent.

This app is the ultimate in simplicity. But how is it useful?

If your job involves managing social media for your organization, it’s a godsend. MindTweet enables you to brainstorm ideas, themes, keywords and entire tweets using ConceptDraw MINDMAP’s brainstorming mode. I can see how this could be very useful in small group brainstorming sessions. You can also use the program’s presentation mode to share your proposed tweet campaign with your boss or coworker, and annotate the map with their suggestions. You can categorize and organize topic tweets, noting priorities and adding notes for future reference. Icons can be used to denote tweets that are ready to send out, priority or order of tweets to be sent, and those that need additional work.

In other words, you can design an entire Twitter campaign and then send your tweets out – without leaving the mind mapping program.The radial format of a mind map makes it very easy to see the visual sequence of tweets you intend to send out. This approach is ideal for brand-building campaigns, where you want to be able to tell and build upon a consistent story over a series of tweets.

I’ve been using Twitter for several years now. To the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any program or online service that gives you the end-to-end power and flexibility that the ConceptDraw MINDMAP/MindTweet combo does. There are certainly many tools that enable you to write and schedule tweets, but nothing that gives you a palette upon which to brainstorm and organize an entire campaign like this.

A few shortcomings

There are three main features that I wish MindTweet offered, but I have to remember that this is a version 1.0 product:

First, MindTweet should have a link shortening tool built into it. If you have a long URL, you must use a link shortening service like bit.ly to generate a shortened URL, and then paste it into your tweet. This isn’t currently handled within MindTweet, but should be, in my opinion.

Second, it would be great if you could schedule tweets from within MindTweet, by turning topics into tasks and assigning a start date and time to them. But then you’d have to keep ConceptDraw MINDMAP open all the time, or would need to have tweets stored in an online repository. Perhaps future integration between MindTweet and HootSuite?

Finally, it would be very cool if MindTweet added a Twitter logo icon to the program’s symbol library. Why? So you could use it to differentiate between those topics that are tweets and others that are simply background information or raw ideas.

Conclusion

All things considered, MindTweet is a great effort by CS Odessa. It’s wonderful to see a developer who isn’t afraid to take the lead and develop an app that brings such valuable social media integration to the table. I can’t wait to see how MindTweet evolves – it should be quite interesting!