Are You Thinking About a Mindmapping Conference?

It has been a number of years since I had initiated putting together a mind mapping conference here in New Jersey, and today I was talking to my good friend and visual mapper Wallace Tait about the possibility of setting up a mind mapping conference so that we convene and share ideas. With the economy in its current state we need to bring innovation and ideas to the work that we do whether it is in the public or private sectors. What better way to  kick-start this year then by planning to convene interested participants who want to explore how we can put mind mapping to use in the work that we do.

I have spoken to Wallace about the idea for an Unconference -whereby we pick a time and place and build the agenda the day of the conference based on your needs. This model has worked really well in the educational marketplace and is one that could work well for us. At the Unconference we could learn about new and innovative ways that people are using mind mapping in the work that they do, whether it is academic, personal, or business related. In this spirit, it would be great to have some corporate sponsorship that could take care of some of the expenses and be a host for the day. I for one think that a mind mapping conference is long overdue and hope that some of the leading companies in this arena will find value in this idea and step up to the plate to make this a reality. I know that Wallace and I are willing to put the time in to see that it happens. If you are interested in making this a reality please feel free to contact me.  All the best and Happy Mind Mapping!

Moving from Mind Mapping to Knowledge Mapping

Much can be said about the benefits of using mind mapping software for the personal, academic, and business needs that many of us have. I know for myself that I greatly benefit from using mind mapping software on a daily basis to plan workshops, overview my content for courses, and for managing projects that I am working on. Using mind mapping software makes me more effective at the work I do and allows me to share information in a rich graphical way that resonates with my colleagues. For me, having access to the tools and techniques of mind mapping provides me a rich palette of tools to draw from when I am doing the work that I do. While using mind mapping software in traditional ways has been quite effective for me- my eyes were opened to a whole new way at looking at mind mapping when I learned about a product called Context Organizer about two years ago.

Context Organizer is a summarization tool that can extract summaries from PDF's, Word, and from URL's. With a click of the mouse I can have Context Organizer a MindManager add-in, build me a rich in information map. When I first tried Context Organizer I couldn't believe how fast I could produce my map filled with contextualized information, I was interested in researching. And so that was the "aha" moment for me going from "mind mapping" in a traditional sense to "knowledge mapping" with a click of the mouse. Going from a blank mind mapping canvas to a completed "knowledge map" was quite exciting to see. Imagine the power I felt having all this information in my map that I could organize and structure the way I wanted. This is the true power of knowledge mapping. The synergy between Context Organizer working within MindManager is exquisite giving the user the opportunity to reorganize information as they see fit. As a Professor of Education I am constantly doing research to keep abreast of new trends in special education and assistive technology and have come to rely on Context Organizer to comb the web looking for new information. Developing my own knowledge maps helps me to see the big picture and look at the current trends in the field and gives me a point of access to determine if I need to read the original articles.

Since the release of Context Organizer for MindManager, Context Organizer has evolved and now works in the cloud with an online mind mapping application called Comapping. Comapping works within the browser and the user with a annual subscription can access their maps and collaborate in real time with any browser and a connection to the web. This is a true paradigm shift and one that all of us are weighing as we begin to dip our toes into the cloud. For me having access to my maps whenever I am connected to the web is quite powerful and I have come to utilize Comapping more and more in the work that I do. But more importantly, I have been able to use Comapping with Context Organizer which has been seamlessly integrated into the application. Now I can attach Word and PDF files to my Comapping maps and have them summarized within seconds. An even more powerful feature is being able to attach a URL link to a branch on my map and have the entire contents of the website summarized. For researchers this is an incredible tool and one that you should take a look at. Now I can develop my personal "knowledge maps' that I can store online in a mapping tool that allows me to organize the information the way I want.

Looking ahead Context Organizer is moving to a soon to be announced portal that will enable users to type in a URL which will then return key words and a summary. This new tool called Web Summarizer will give you the capability to type a URL and have the information instantly summarized complete with key words. You will also be able to search your knowledge database to find links to the information you are interested in. With Web Summarizer you will be able to build you own knowledge databases and when you are done you will be able to export the summaries to your mind mapping application-creating the perfect repository for your information set.

So at least for myself, I am using a new term called "Knowledge Mapping" to share with you a new way to think about mind mapping and handling vast amounts of information that can be personalized to meet your needs. If you are interested in learning more how you can handle the information overload with these tools send me an email and I would be glad to share with you how your business or school could benefit from using "knowledge mapping." So happy "Knowlwdge Mapping."

Interview with Patrick Koh of SimTech

Wallace Tait and I had the privilege of being able to interview Patrick Koh, the Managing Director of SimTechUSA Office located just outside of Dallas, Texas. Patrick is involved with developing business with customers and reseller partners worldwide for MindMapper 2009. SimTech recently released MindMapper 2009 with a host of new features which now includes use of the Ribbon Interface as well as built in project management features. MindMapper 2009 is a very formidable visual mapping tool which is both powerful and easy to use. During the interview we were able to ask Patrick to share with us his views on the visual mapping field. We hope you enjoy the interview, and look for Wallace and I to do more thought provoking interviews with thought leaders and developers in the visual mapping field. Enjoy.

Wallace Tait Interviews Brian S Friedlander

Listen to what we hope will be the first of many podcasts on the topic of visual mapping. This past weekend Wallace and I over Skype had a chance to sit down and talk about visual mapping, the Visual Mapping Body of Knowledge (VMBOK) and my upcoming presentation at the VizThink 2009 North American Conference. Listen to our banter and enjoy. Look for more podcasts coming soon that will be posted here at the AssistiveTek Blog. Enjoy!

Croosloop Revisited

While I have talking about Web 2.0 for some time now, the real benefit of these technologies is the ability to collaborate over the web. Just yesterday evening I was collaborating with my colleague and fellow visual mapper Wallace Tait on a visual map. Using Crossloop and Skype we were able to collaboratively work on the visual map as if we were in the same room. The speed and clarity of the screen was really unbelievable. Using readily available Web 2.0 technologies made this collaboration possible at no cost to either myself or Wallace. Using Skype for the audio and Crossloop for the screen sharing session was a real winner all around.

Using these technologies it is now possible to provide high level support, training, and collaboration wherever you may reside. All you need is high speed internet and a free Skype and Crossloop account. If you are looking for training and support in the comfort of your home or office just drop me a line to find out how we can get started. This type of support and training is ideal when you get in a pinch and need someone to turn to. I offer free estimates and would be glad to speak to you over Skype about your training or support needsor feel free to email me.

Sharing with Crossloop

A couple of days ago I had mentioned that I came across a screen sharing application called Crossloop and just yesterday evening, I finally got a chance to work with it with my colleague Wallace Tait. Both of us were talking over Skype and decided that we wanted to take a look at how JCVGantt worked with MindManager in preparation for the IQ Visual Mapping Conference that is planned for October 2-3, 2008. We both started up Crossloop and exchanged our access keys that we entered into the Crossloop widget. In a matter of seconds we were connected and a dialog box popped up asking for permission to share each other computer screens. Once I clicked on the OK button I was able to see Wallace's screen and I could control his computer as if I was looking over his shoulder. The screen was very clear and there was no noticeable delay when I was moving icons or double clicking on applications to start them up. Since Wallace could also use the mouse as well, there were times when we would both try to do something and realize that we had to wait for the other person to relinquish control of the mouse. Other than that it was easy to go back and forth with sharing our screens by clicking on control icons that I would consider to be a very easy and intuitive to learn how to use. Crossloop is a free tool for Window's users that would be ideal for one on one webinars and for doing remote support. Using this technology both computers would need to have Crossloop client installed. Once installed it is very easy to use to get your session started. Download Crossloop and let me know how you successfully used it in the work that you do. If you are looking for training in the comfort of your home or office, over the web, in the area of assistive technology, visual mindmapping, or project planning- shoot me an email and I will let you know how we can get started.

Why I'll Be There!

Thanks for all of your interest in the upcoming October 2-3, 2008 Intelligent Visual Mapping Conference to be held in the Greater New York City Area. What better way to express to you why you should attend the conference then by putting the reasons in a visual mind map. I would like to thanks two of my presenters Wallace Tait and Chuck Frey for putting this together.




If you have been thinking about attending the conference now is the time to register to take advantage of the Early Bird Registration discounts. At this time we have firm commitments from TPAssist 2007, Mindjet, CS Odessa, PersonalBrain, and Simetech that they will be exhibiting as well as presenting on their products and solutions. It is going to be a wonderful conference- so stay tuned for some really exciting announcements in the next couple of weeks.

IQ Visual Mapping Conference Website Live

It is hard to believe that IQ Visual Mapping Conference is just 4 months away and in our efforts to keep you abreast of all that is happening we have put together a blog dedicated to the conference. This is where you can go to find out the latest information about the presentations and the what is happening. We will keep you updated all along the way and please feel free to visit the blog and add your comments to the posts and get a conversation going. If you were not aware we announced last week that the conference will be a 2 day event, October 2-3, 2008 to be held on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown, NJ. The campus is in the Greater New York area and is just 30 minutes from the heart of New York City-so come to the conference and then spend the weekend visiting the city that never sleeps.

View Larger Map

I have received numerous emails asking me about what is going to be covered during the conference and to give you a flavor, Stephanie Diamond was kind enough to interview Wallace Tait, Arjen te Hoeve, Adam Clayman, Chuck Frey and myself. We have since put the interviews up on our conference blog so that you can listen to them and get a good feeling of what will be covered. Please come back often since this will be updated. As you listen to the interviews you will begin to hear some themes coming through about the conference which include: learning new strategies for using visual mapping, learning about the tools, doing some real social networking, becoming part of the larger visual mapping community and making yourself more valuable in the work that you do.

Since we moved to a 2 day event we have gotten a tremendous response from vendors and software developers, who not only want to exhibit but who now will be given the opportunity to present so that they can share with you the unique feature set of their software. So stay tuned to find out who will be exhibiting at the conference.