As you work through your e-plan you may want to mindmap some of your ideas to assist with the layout or design. There is nothing worse than starting the site and changing your mind half way through or forgetting to insert a page!
Ann likes mindmapping as a technique as it is essentially creating a storyboard where I create connectors that will become my pages or external links.
Michael has been using the free tool called FreeMind Portable. This is a mindmapping tool that allows you to effectively brainstorm your ideas, linking your thoughts and expanding on your ideas. It runs on any system that has java installed (a web plugin) – mac, windows or linux.
Example mindmap from the induction day:
Relevant links:
- Freemind web site.
- Download files page (freemind).
- Links to a portable version of freemind, for your usb stick (windows only, depends on java).
Other links (enthusiasts only):
Thanks for this, Ann. Perhaps Michael could post the mind map made the other day at the site visit (Now I can't remember which one…) as an example of what can be done?
Yes thanks Ann, i'll get in and edit it when i can. Just tried now, but the browser crashed and i lost my edits.
michael
How timely – I'm 'shopping around'for some mindmap software and I'll give this one a go. Michael, what's your favourite mindmapping software (for Dummies, ie quick and simple, rather than pretty)?
Well Jill, i reckon Freemind pretty much does it.
Though it's not very visual, and you do need to learn the [Alt + Enter] move to break up lines, which isn't obvious at first.
My other favourite is MindManager, which used to be free, but is now completely withdrawn from the internet (now paid only).
I would love to find one that could automatically convert from simple outline and back. (As well as export visuals.)
Well, my very first Freemind map looks like a squished huntsman.
It just fits on a page in landscape orientation. I'll continue experimenting.
Can it be saved to other file formats or do you insert it into another file, like Word?
Presumably there's also a translation of all the keyboard shortcuts for mac users too…