Mind mapped book summaries can be valuable, visual learning aids for your own use, as well as for sharing with others. But like other types of mind maps, book maps need to be created with clarity and brevity in mind.

There’s an art to extracting the key points and nuggets of knowledge from a book that may be several hundred pages in length and still end up with a visual summary that is understandable. In this new Insider report, we’ll take a closer look at 8 principles for creating an effective book mind map that will be memorable and useful for you and anyone with whom you may share it.

Members-only resource

This link to this report is only visible to members of the Mind Mapping Insider membership program. It contains a wealth of resources that can help you to be more productive, creative and have a greater impact in your life.

New reports and resources are being added to the Insider area every week. If you’re serious about becoming a mind mapper, why not check out the Mind Mapping Insider program today?

How do the mind mapping apps for the iPad compare with each other? Here is a visual analysis, in the form of a chart, which compares price vs. functionality, and what that translates into in terms of potential value to you. The larger the circle, the greater the program’s value. Please click on the image to view a larger version of this chart.

Ideally, you want a low-cost (or free) app with lots of functionality. That yields a lot of value. But don’t discount the higher-priced mind mapping apps in this chart, because even the highest-priced one is only US$15.99 – still a bargain!

What can we learn from this chart? First, there are many developers fighting for the lowest end of the market – low-cost apps that do just basic topics connected by lines, and not much more. If they don’t at least offer text notes and hypertext links, they’re not worth your time, in my opinion.

Next, there is a cluster of apps in the mid-range of functionality, in the price range of US6-8.They offer a bit more functionality, at a slightly higher price than the low-end programs.

Finally, at the high end of the market are apps like iThoughtsHD, iBlueSky, MindMeister and DropMind, which provide an excellent level of functionality for a reasonable price. Mindjet stands alone as a supplier of a fully-featured mind mapping app that is giving it away for free – part of its mission to spread visual mapping to a much larger audience of users, who may some day purchase its MindManager desktop mind mapping program and Connect online workspace service.

What do you think of this analysis? Is this something I should repeat for other segments of the mind mapping software market?

(Updated chart 2/20/12 in response to comments – changed position of iThoughts HD relative to other apps)

Visual thinking is an essential executive skill today. If you want to keep up with the latest thinking on this fascinating topic, why not follow these 10 visual thinking experts on Twitter?

Please click on the image above to load a clickable image map, where you can navigate to the Twitter feeds of these experts. Or navigate to them using the links in the descriptions below. Rather than just give you the “tip of the iceberg, I took some time to locate some of their best work, so you can get a better sense of who these people are and what they do – and the rich, vibrant field that is visual thinking!

Dan Roam
@dan_roam

Author of the best-selling books The Back of the Napkin and Blah Blah Blah and frequent public speaker, Dan has done a lot to bring visual thinking to the attention of executives and leaders, and has created a simple framework to begin using it. Here’s his blog.

Mike Rohde
@rohdesign

Mike has been a leading advocate and practitioner of a visual technique called “sketchnoting,” which makes conventional notes more visual through styling your hand-written text and adding simple doodles and sketches. He presents regularly on this topic at the famous SXSW conference in Austin. Here’s his excellent blog.

David Armano
@armano

David has an extraordinary talent for designing and producing business diagrams and infographics. He is a frequent public speaker on the topic of visual thinking. Here is a link to his blog and his visual thinking set on Flickr, which contains many excellent diagrams.

Nancy Duarte
@nancyduarte

Nancy is the author of Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences and slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. Check out her blog and a recent TED presentation, which gives an excellent overview of her storytelling techniques! Click here for her Twitter feed.

Sunni Brown
@sunnibrown

Sunni is an expert on visual notetaking and graphic facilitation. She is a frequent speaker, and was one of several co-authors with Dave Gray of the seminal book Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rule-breakers and Changemakers. Here’s a recent TED talk that summarizes the benefits of visual notetaking. The is also the leader of the Doodle Revolution, which you can read about on her blog.

David Sibbet
@davidsibbet

David is the author of Visual Meetings: How Graphics, Sticky Notes and Idea Mapping Can Transform Group Productivity and Visual Teams: Graphic Tools for Commitment, Innovation, and High Performance and is a leading thinker in the organizational use of visual thinking techniques. His website and blog, where he posts updates on what he’s working on and thinking about periodically, can be found here.

Dave Gray
(@davegray

Dave is the founder of XPLANE, a visual thinking consultancy that was acquired by the Dachis Group. He is the co-author of Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers (along with Sunni Brown and James Macanufo), and is one of the deepest thinkers in this space. I’ve been following him for years, and always love his fascinating insights. Check out this video interview with him and his Communication Nation blog.

Kumar Kolanganti
@visualoomph

Kumar is passionate about information and data visualization, and shares best practices on these subjects on his blog and in his Twitter feed. He is also the developer of a pictorial resume creator called PictoCV.

Jeff Bennett
@vizthinker

Jeff is the founder of Digital Splash Media and is a proponent of using video infographics to communicate information to audiences. He curates them at VideoInfographics.com.

Karl Gude
@karlgude

Karl spent 25 years visualizing information for various large news organizations including The Associated Press and Newsweek magazine. As a visual journalist, information designer and artist, his mission was to simplify complex topics so that the average reader could understand them. His extensive collection of infographics can be found in this Flickr set.

Who would you add to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments, please!

The mind map above was produced using MindManager 2012 for Windows.

If you want to learn about leading visual thinking strategies and techniques, I recommend these 10 books:

1. The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam
2. Unfolding the Napkin: The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures by Dan Roam
3. Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don’t Work by Dan Roam
4. Visual Teams: Graphic Tools for Commitment, Innovation, and High Performance by David Sibbett
5. Visual Meetings: How Graphics, Sticky Notes and Idea Mapping Can Transform Group Productivity by David Sibbett
6. Mind Maps for Business: Revolutionize Your Business Thinking and Practice by Tony Buzan
7. Idea Mapping: How to Access Your Hidden Brain Power, Learn Faster, Remember More and Achieve Success in Business by Jamie Nast
8. Thinking Visually: Business Applications of 14 Core Diagrams by Malcolm Craig
9. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers by Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo
10. Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte

Are some of your favorite visual thinking books missing from this list? Please tell us about them in the comments. Thanks!

Visual thinking is quickly growing in importance as a strategy for attacking difficult business problems. But what’s driving this need and why should you learn about it?

That’s the purpose of this new mind map, which outlines the major drivers behind the growth of visual thinking (the “why”) and codifies the benefits of adopting this type of mindset (please click on the map to view a larger image).

What do you think? What would you add to this mind map? Please share your thoughts!

This mind map was created using iMindMap 5 Ultimate for Windows.

MindGenius Ltd. just announced an update to its mind mapping program that should significantly broaden its appeal to enterprises. MindGenius 4.2 now supports SharePoint check-out/check-in and you can export your project map data directly to Microsoft Excel.

SharePoint integration

In the past, if you wanted SharePoint integration, you had to get your hands on a special version of MindManager. All that’s changed with MindGenius 4.2. Check-in/check-out ensures that only one person at a time can edit a mind map. If you have it checked out, no one else can edit it, but they can still view it in read-only mode. This gives you greater control over shared mind maps in a team environment.

MindGenius 4.2 is compatible with SharePoint 2007 and 2010; SharePoint 2003 is not supported. For MindGenius files to be recognized by SharePoint, your SharePoint administrator will need to register MindGenius file types and icons with the SharePoint server. This is not something that the average worker can do on their own.

You can open mind maps hosted on your organization’s SharePoint server either by using a mapped drive on your computer or by typing the SharePoint server URL into the file/open dialog box.

Also, you can perform version control by assigning a version number to your mind map, each time it’s updated. Finally, if you have a map checked out, it is stored locally, so you can take it on the road with you and edit it while offline. Nice!

Excel export Gantt view

Most mind mapping programs that have project and task management capabilities also offer a Gantt chart. That’s somewhat useful. But what if some members of your team don’t have MindGenius – or Microsoft Project? With MindGenius 4.2, you can now export your Gantt chart to an Excel spreadsheet. This should be a great solution for many users of MindGenius, because the Microsoft Office suite is so widely used worldwide.

MindGenius 4.2 offers a number of options to help you customize your exported project data, including:

• Calculate column summaries in Excel
• Apply grouping – in other words, you can expand or collapse “branches” within the spreadsheet, in much the same way as you can expand and contract mind map branches.
• Retain the colors and styling of your mind map or export a plain, black-and-white spreadsheet
• Export range – export the current map view or the entire contents of your mind map

Of course, you need to make sure your mind map is arranged in a meaningful way before you perform your export to Excel.

This is a very positive move for enterprise users of MindGenius. Version 4.2 is a free download for current users of MindGenius 4. For more details, please visit the upgrade page on the developer’s website.

I’m actually going to share two top 10 lists with you. One is from Google Analytics, which is strictly based upon page views. The other one is calculated by the WordPress blogging platform; it uses a combination of factors to determine popularity. Think of them as two different perspectives into the wild year that was 2011:

Google Analytics

1. Mind mapping on the iPad: A game changer
2. 2 mind mapping apps showcase the promise of the Android smartphone platform
3. The 4 best mind mapping programs for project management
4. First impressions: Mind mapping apps for the iPad 
5. 8 new mind mapping applications enable you to capture your ideas on the iPhone 
6. How to think like Steve Jobs mind map
7. Concept maps vs. mind maps
8. iMindMap 5 evolves into a solid business mind mapping tool
9. How to do a SWOT analysis using a mind map
10. A mind map of 100+ tips for using Linkedin more effectively

WordPress post popularity

1. A mind map of 100+ tips for using Linkedin more effectively
2. iMindMap 5 evolves into a solid business mind mapping tool
3. Review: DropMind makes impressive debut on the iPad
4. Mind mapping apps for the iPad: The Dropbox connection
5. Review: OmniGraffle diagramming app for iPad offers excellent usability, unmatched functionality
6. Mind map analysis: A terrific visual decision making template
7. iMindMap 5, new online collaboration tool announced by ThinkBuzan
8. Video review: SimpleDiagrams software is a great way to get started with visual thinking
9. Mind Mapping Software: More Powerful Than You May Realize
10. Review: MindMeister for the iPad is ideal for mind mapping on the go

One topic dominated both lists in 2011: mind mapping on the iPad. As the popularity of Apple’s tablet grew by leaps and bounds during the last year, so did interest in visual mapping apps for it. My iPad is loaded with mind mapping apps – looks like I better step up the pace and review more of them this year!

No matter what your line of work, chances are you must deal with ideas. Either you’re creating them as part of your work, or are having them submitted to you by your subordinates. In either case, having an effective process for evaluating ideas effectively and selecting the best ones for implementation is becoming critically important.

In this new Effective Mind Maps report, I analyze a mind map that brings a simple, common-sense process to creative problem solving – from clearly defining your problem or challenge, to listing potential solutions, evaluating them and identifying the best one for implementation.

In this report, I go deeper than ever, not only analyzing what the author of this mind map has created and what can be improved about it, I show you what these recommended changes would look like. So I’m not only telling you, I’m showing you what to do. This makes it easier for you to adapt these ideas to your needs.

This report is only available to members of the Mind Mapping Insider membership program. It contains a wealth of resources that can help you to be more productive, creative and have a greater impact in your job. It’s not enough to have a mind mapping tool – you need the insights to use it in ways that deliver value and enhance your reputation. That’s what this program is all about! Click here for more details.

One of the problems with the way we think is that it tends to be based heavily upon problems and challenges we have faced in the past. We tend to focus on something that has worked before for us, and settle on the first seemingly good idea that pops into our minds. As a result, we tend to grab at a narrow range of ideas, and stick with them until they’re proven wrong – not a very good survival skill for today’s climate of discontinuous, accelerating change.

A Lotus Blossom map can help you to brainstorm and think about a much broader collection of ideas and potential solutions to your challenges. It’s an excellent lateral thinking tool!

In this latest Mind Mapping Insider report, I explain how to brainstorm using this unique visual format, which is very similar to mind mapping. I even provide a full-color template for this exercise, along with a filled-out example to help you get started exploring your unique possibilities, opportunities and ideas. I created these diagrams from scratch just for my members, because I couldn’t find good enough examples online, and improved upon a diagram I found in a creativity book to make it easier to use.

The special report that accompanies these diagrams explains, step by step, how to use this brainstorming technique – illustrated visually, of course. Please click on the links below to expand your thinking today.

This report is only visible to members of the Mind Mapping Insider program; if you’re a member, please be sure you’re logged in, so you can see the link to the video and its associated resources.

To sign up for the Mind Mapping Insider program, please click here. You’ll open yourself up to a wealth of advanced strategies and techniques that will help you to become a better visual thinker, problem solver and project manager – all for the cost of a premium coffee per week. Why not make an investment in yourself today?

What do Smart Map Parts, Spinscape and the SharePoint version of MindManager have in common? They are all attempts to use mind maps as a research tool, connecting mind mapping software with data stores wherever they are – whether that data is on your corporate network, Google or your personal Evernote database – searching them and manipulating the resulting data within a visual map format.

The “information scalpel”

I predict that these tools will become more powerful and more flexible over time, an “information scalpel” that will enable sophisticated searching of information stores and flexible manipulation of the results. Some possibilities include:

• Boolean searches (search for A and B but not C),
• Limiting searches say to a specific kind of data, such as news or blogs,
• Searching other online stores of information, such as Wikipedia, Google+, Wolfram Alpha and industrial directories
• Connections to other types of corporate databases, in addition to SharePoint
• A Smart Map Part builder, so you can easily construct and modify tools to search those information stores that are most important in your industry or profession
• Storing and auto-updating search results on a scheduled basis, which would be useful for topic monitoring and competitive analysis
• Auto-notification when search results are located that meet certain criteria
• Tagging specific topics and search results and forwarding them to others on your work team for action

In addition, the ability to review search results and only add certain entries to your mind map is a capability that will become more important in the near future. Currently, Mindjet’s Smart Map Parts for Mind Manager deliver all search results into your mind map. It’s up to you to delete those that aren’t relevant to your needs. A better approach would be to conduct searches and load the results into a side panel or dialog box near the work space, where the user can decide which results are relevant and worthy of being added to your map. This is the approach taken by Spinscape, a web-based mind mapping application, and I think it makes a lot of sense. This kind of functionality will becoming increasingly important, as information managers continue to struggle with information overload.

The integrated browser with the ability to drag and drop web content also helps to transform mind mapping software into a powerful research tool. It enables you to search for information of interest and selectively add the most important bits and pieces to your mind map in an organized and efficient way.

What inspired me

What got me thinking about this is Radian6, a sophisticated team-based social media monitoring and campaign development tool that enables multiple people to track what’s being said about your company and its competitors, to monitor the needs that are being expressed by current and prospective customers and to take action. This powerful toolset is an information dashboard on steroids. As I looked at what Radian6 can do for organizations, I got to wondering what it would look like within a mind map environment.

Salesforce.com recently acquired Radian6. I think in the future we can expect to see some integration between MindManager and this powerful social media toolset, because Mindjet already has a smart map connector called Deal Navigator for the popular online CRM application.

That’s what I see in my crystal ball. What do you think the future of mind mapping software looks like?