A Must Have Software

CNet reviews MindManager;

To test out the software, I launched a mind map from the weekly planner template and started filling in my weekly tasks at Download.com. Each day was color-coded, with the days of the week fanned out clockwise on my screen. Adding each of my duties was as easy as selecting a topic, hitting return, and typing the task in. From there I could make notes about each task when I needed to add specific details. I was quickly impressed with how MindManager automatically resized the graphics according to the number of characters for each task, so the overall effect remained aesthetically pleasing (sometimes it's the little things that make software great). Tons of included graphics and icons helped me call out tasks that were higher priority than others or required help from other coworkers. Once I was done filling in my week, I realized how easy it was to plan accordingly for each article, newsletter, and product review with a visual representation right in front of me.

Don't assume MindManager is just a fancy weekly planner, though. Included templates can help you or your company with decision-making, events, marketing strategies, org charts, writing projects, and really just about anything. Flexibility and ease-of-use are its greatest strengths. Just about anyone could play with the program for a few minutes and understand how to make a map of their own. This makes project collaboration easy because people can add parts to the map or add notes to topics for extra details easily. Finally, when the mind map is finished you can export to several different formats depending on whether its going to be a slide in a presentation, a page for your Web site, or a printout for personal use.