Thank you for all the great feedback in response to my earlier post Mind Mapping in a Connected World. We here at Mindjet are truly excited about the possibilities that lay ahead! Along with us, many of you have been looking for fresh new ideas and creative ways to apply mind mapping techniques and technologies to solve challenging problems. Our sense is that the future of mind mapping is bright indeed.
However, there have also been some legitimate questions about our Twitter integration demo. Does it really add much value? Some have asked about the benefits of using a mind map for interacting with a social network, especially when there are many other competing products and solutions in this space.
In response, we wanted to introduce a more specific use case for our technology demonstration. Brainstorming has long been one of the most popular and appealing applications for mind mapping. Whether working alone or as a team on a given subject, this creative, box-breaking process is very well suited to the visual cues and non-linear dynamics of a mind map.
In that spirit, we have tailored a version of the brainstorming map from our template gallery and integrated it with the Twitter connector, creating an instant-on social brainstorming solution. Also known as crowdsourcing, you may now collaborate spontaneously and seamlessly with your social network about your next great idea, all while neatly organizing and classifying the information in a custom-tailored mind map.
You can try it out for yourself at http://labs.mindjet.com/twitter/ (follow the Brainstorm link at the bottom of the page).
To get started, just send a quick tweet about your topic of interest and start chatting with your Twitter network. As the ideas roll in, simply tag the tweets using our built-in map markers, or annotate them with topic notes of your own. The connector automatically organizes everything in the map, copying the tweets into categories based on the selected marker(s) and/or notes you provide. Of course, it’s a real map too, so you may also drag/drop, summarize, and collate the ideas from your brainstorm session to suit your own personal preferences.
In addition, as the ideas from your own network start rolling in, you can search all of Twitter for related conversation threads, quickly incorporating additional input from a very large community. When you come across like-minded people, you can instantly follow them from within the map and expand your social network in the process.
When you select a tweet or a user within the mind map, we draw relationship lines to help you visualize your information sources. Our web-based mind mapping solution also supports printing and basic file save operations (*.xmmap format), making it easy to share your maps and further edit them offline using our MindManager desktop product.
We invite you to try our social brainstorming solution, and look forward to hearing your feedback. Follow me on Twitter (@twe_mj) or search Twitter using hashtag #twitterjet for more help and tips for using our technology preview.
