Web 2.0 in the Enterprise

Wonderful last sentence, i.e., "The hardest thing to change is a habit, and work habits may be the hardest to change of all."

As an author and copywriter, steeped in the tradition of isolation, I'm increasingly attracted to tools like MindManager Connect that facilitate real-time, and spontaneous, collaboration between co-authors, authors and editors, clients and coaches, located around the world.

I'm finding great utility in MindManager 8's built-in Mindjet Player, which allows "clickable" and "zoomable" mind maps to be added to websites and PDF's, i.e., http://tinyurl.com/7t9l86

We run our entire company using Web 2.0

We have no office, no server rack and wherever we are the work is. We also have no IT department. From my experience IT prevents rather than enables business.

All we need is a web connection and access to the VPN because the company that makes our accounting software doesn't get the internet. We had to use Printeranywhere as a hack to do our remote printing.

We use Mindmanager to express ideas and projects. We use it when bullet points don't work. In the same way that you use a map to find your way in a new city.

You could have looked at Basecamp. Web 2.0 and millions of people and thousands of businesses depend on this Web 2.0 service

Heres a map I made of how we used Web 2.0 for a client. http://www.flickr.com/photos/for_dprefect/249183872/

And I think that work habits have to change. In this environment it is change or die and Web 2.0 is the new way.

Mind Mapping is an excellent tool for collaboration. I've just begun to use Mind Manager at work for that purpose. Another cloud option is MindMeister. I use this service for my personal mind maps. I like it because it is easy for me to embed working maps into blog posts. If sharing is enabled, anyone with an Internet connection can contribute to the map. For instance, here's a link to a blog post where I began mapping key concepts of the book The Numerati. http://thinkinganalytically.com/2008/09/the-numerati-mind-map/ Viewers can arrange the map and expand/contract branches without leaving my blog post. Collaborators can click on a link and open the map from the cloud and contribute to the map. Perhaps not as high powered as Mind Manager but free for the basic version or about $50 for an unlimited number of shared maps.

The power of mind mapping reveals itself if it comes to collaboration and sharing. It's not the final map that counts but the process of creating and modifying it.

Mind maps are best if you are not only presented with a result but if you are part of the process. That's one of the main reasons why www.mindmeister.com (disclosure I'm with MindMeister) is purely web-based and focused on collaboration and integration into other services.

I've been a devoted user of Mind Mapping for years.
I use Mind Manager for my personal use because of the
superior graphics and versatility.
However, for my business, a twelve employee construction company, I use MindMeister simply because of price. Mindmeister works and my employees can use the basic version for free while I pay for the premium version. Mind Manager would cost me over 1K per year.
Mindmeister keeps improving and hopefully will eventually help drive down the price of Mind Manager.

There are a lot of advantages of mindmeister.

#1 It's so simple! Reduced and elegant interface. Even beginners can deal with it.

#2 No start "investment" like MindManager, just invite your colleges or friends and share a mindmap, collaboration was never easier.

#3 The first 6 mindmaps are free, so if you wanna start with mindmapping you will have zero costs.

#4 Export the files in all kinds of different formats

Well, that's my experience after 1,5 years of using this service. Used MindManger before that time ;)

One of MindManager's key differentiators is its ability to export to Microsoft Office applications. MindMeister, while a viable mapping tool, only allows exports to .PDF or as an image.

With respect to MindJet Connect, our company is exploring ways to colloborate with people in multiple locations to facilitate the generation of ideas, while minimizing travel expenses.

As a business user, I was very excited about the release of Mind Manager's online version, but upon evaluation I thought it fell short in functionality and ease of use. I thought it was a good attempt but will need further development to gain the respect of the mind mapping community.

I have been a long time user of mind mapping tools for their advantages in planning and organizing in a digital nature.

My preferred tool is MindView because the software is second to none in the areas of communication, productivity and project management. As I am often engaged in high level business presentations, MindView allows me to enter the information and then quickly and easily switch the data to a different view my audience can understand. Further, I can transfer the data into a Gantt chart or timeline for task management. MindView also has a more intuitive Office integration, specifically with Word and PowerPoint.

As I stated before, a web tool is a nice direction regarding mind mapping, but the tools available are still underdeveloped for business users. This is why the desktop application is still superior.