Add content to your MindMeister maps – via e-mail!

One feature of the enhanced MindMeister Geistesblitz enhancements that I missed during the last upgrade is the ability to send topics to your default map, or create an entirely new map, via e-mail. The process is very simple: First, you must enable your MindMeister account to utilize these e-mail tools. When you do so, the application automatically generates 2 e-mail addresses. One is used to add topics to your default MindMeister map. The other is used to create entirely new maps.

To use this intriguing new service, you simply compose an e-mail, placing each topic on a new line. Child topics are designated by preceding topic text with an indent or tab. In the example above, I wrote an e-mail to create a new map that explains the process of setting up Geistesblitz E-mail.

Note the topics that contain indented sub-topics below them. MindMeister parses your message and creates a new map, shown at right.

Here is a link to the page where the developers of MindMeister explain how Geistesblitz E-mail works.

This could be a great tool for businesspeople who want to capture ideas, but are only traveling with a Blackberry or other mobile device that supports e-mail or SMS. You can simply send your ideas and reminders to MindMeister, and then login to your account later to arrange the new topics to meet your needs. I think that’s really, really cool, and I don’t know how I overlooked it when MindMeister 2.0 was launched. I owe a hat tip to the LifeHacker blog for discovering this neat functionality!