Have you noticed the serious shortage of ‘e’s recently?  Here’s another site, hit hard by the e drought: Diagrammr

What it does is intriguing.  Key in a series of propositions and, if they are sensibly related, it will produce a concept map for you.  Here’s an example:

(click to see full size)

Click here to visit the full concept map in diagrammr itself.   You’ll see that the propositions all follow the form “concept1 linking phrase concept2“.  If a concept requires two or more words, you’ll need to join them with underscores – common_mindmaps  for example.

The placement of the linking phrases could be improved – you can’t always see straight away which relationship line a phrase relates to – but I can see that placement over the middle of the line with elegant wordwrap would not be trivial.

You have to decide on your concepts rather carefully to get the full benefit of diagrammr’s atomatic linking.  Take the last proposition: Tony_Buzan would probably not approve of maps output by diagrammr.  Maps-output-by-diagrammr is really the concept here, but then we would not have an automatic link to diagrammr.  There are other ways round this, but I include it as an example.

Diagrammr can also make another form of diagram – click ‘change layout’ under the map.  It takes the same input and produces something like this:

This is something like a sequence diagram (can anyone tell me what it’s really called?)   For this to be workable, you need to keep your proposition names short or they overlap across the title bar.

I’m distrustful of web sites holding my data, so I cut and pasted a backup copy of the propositions to a text file on my computer when I made the map yesterday.  When I went back today, it had reverted to an earlier version – excluding roughly the second half of the propositions.  So take the same precaution if you do any useful work here!  I should mention that there are no accounts, no login, and no apparent protection against vandalism either.

Roy

If you want the detail, here are the propositions that generated the map:
informationmaps include mindmaps; informationmaps include concept_maps; informationmaps include spidergrams; informationmaps include argument_maps; mindmaps include Buzan_mindmaps; mindmaps include common_mindmaps; common_mindmaps are similar to spidergrams; Buzan_mindmaps follow guidelines; common_mindmaps are more loosely defined than Buzan_mindmaps; informationmaps can be used to store information; informationmaps can be used to point to computer_files; informationmaps can help generate ideas; mindmaps can help organize thoughts; concept_maps need not be hierarchical; mindmaps follow a tree_structure; concept_maps generally have linking_phrases; linking_phrases are not well placed in diagrammr; concept_maps help demonstrate understanding; guidelines were set by Tony_Buzan; Tony_Buzan would probably not approve of maps output by diagrammr

To make the big list of free mind mapping software even more useful, every entry now has a thumbnail screenshot.

How many different items?  73 pieces of software (looks more because some are capable of making more than one type of information map.

Here are the types of software covered:

• 3D concept and mind map
• Concept map
• Development platforms for various map forms
• Diagramming and flowcharting
• Hyperbolic tree making
• Free information & knowledge management
• Software for making maps of arguments, belief, idea support, debates, decisions and influence
• Mind map
• Software to represent ontologies and taxonomies graphically
• Presentation map software
• Treemap
• Whiteboard software
• Wiki-related graphical software

Roy

WikIT, the mind mapping wiki, has just published a list of all the free software for making mind maps, concept maps and other types of information map.

Roy

 The philosophy of WikIT, the mind mapping wiki, is that no type of information map is “right” in all circumstances, and no set of rules works always, or even most the time.  Often, one of the various types of mind map will be very stimulating and fit our needs, while at other times a concept map serves us better.

When?  Well, if you’re trying to capture your knowledge of a topic, or build up knowledge as you study, a concept map is an excellent way to start, especially if you are a visual thinker.

Some people use the term “concept map” for any web that is not bound to the limitations of a strict hierarchy. This implies that any node/concept may potentially connect to any other node.  This is an important feature of concept maps that distinguishes them from mind maps, spider diagrams and the like.

Others stress the importance of relationships between concepts, and the linking phrases describing the relationship. The developers of concept maps included this requirement at an early stage when laying out this way of visualising knowledge.

Together, these two characteristics make concept maps a rigorous way of laying out knowledge and understanding visually.

WikIT has an article about how to make a concept map that gives a stage-by-stage example, with thinking discussed along the way.

Roy

Just to show I’m not prejudiced, here’s a related post about “How to make a mind map“.

3D Topicscape Pro, the only true 3D mind mapping software, is moving into an all new version: vsn.2.0. Here’s an opportunity for you to see the tool that makes information overload easier to cope with by letting you see much more of your information at one time, organized just how you like it and laid out in a landscape before you.

This new version brings you easy-to-use and powerful 3D software in an even easier form.

Full details of Beta 2.0 are in a picture-rich document here. Meanwhile, here’s a summary of the new features that make this a great upgrade:

• Tagging
• Halo menu on topics, and associated dynamic help
• Innovative swinging panels
• Topic footprints
• Quick view of topic contents
• Topic name layout improvement
• Neighborhood views
• Additional built-in demo
• PB5 import update
• and more…
You can see here how our beta tests work http://www.topicscape.com/betahow.php and then if you’re interested in this exciting information organizer, move on to the Beta application form and choose a user name and password … http://www.topicscape.com/applybeta.php We need a few details about your computer so that we can know it has a good chance of running Topicscape.

The Beta will work without a license, whether you have previously installed Topicscape or not, until March 31st.

We’re keen to hear what you think, whether you find any problems, and what suggestions you have. You can contact us for help and feedback.

Roy

The Internet’s best mindmaps library just uploaded 11 more links and thumbnails to superb mindmaps and concept maps, taking it past the 1,000 entries mark.

We think it’s the best mind maps library out there, with maps selected for their originality, creativity and usefulness, as an inspiration to everyone in the mindmapping community.  Every map is classified by type (true mindmaps, spidergrams, concept maps, bubble diagrams and more), and tagged by topic, so you can do a filtered search to narrow down your view to, for example, just concept maps about science, or just true mindmaps about creativity.

Every thumbnail image is linked to the map’s original website where in most cases you can find the full-sized map, and often an article built around it.

Roy

The Mindmaps Directory has taken a leap in size.  Now it has 877 maps from all over the web.  Unlike other libraries that make exagerated claims but don’t let you browse to see how many there really are (only search for a term or see  ‘popular’ ones) you can explore our full directory - page by page. 

Hand-picked, classified by map type and tagged, these offer a growing and serious resource for students and businesses.  So you can search by word, click the tag cloud to see all on a given subject, or narrow what you see to just a particular type – concept maps, say, mindmaps, or tree diagrams.

Roy

Topicscape.com‘s  amazing mindmaps directory has just grown. More than 700 mindmaps assiduously gathered from across the globe.

This is the only mind maps library that allows browsing, filtering by map type (we have spidergrams, bubble diagrams, concept maps, pure, pure mind maps and other types), and is fully tagged with a tag cloud filter and search by subject capability.  Each map is linked to its original source.

So useful for business mappers, students and creative types, looking for fresh ideas and a new approach.

To see the new maps, go to the end (page 48, with 15 maps per page) and work back to page 39 at least.

Roy

At last, our Student Edition is ready for release!

We’ve been working on this for over a year and it got pushed to the background with all the updates to 3D Topicscape Pro, and other developments that we’re not ready to uncover yet.

This is a fun Topicscape with brilliant, glowing colors, stars, galaxies and planets in the sky, but the underlying serious ability to make 3D concept and mind maps to support students in their homework, term papers and research on the web.  And did we mention it’s FREE?  This is a Beta version, but that’s not why it’s free.  It’s going to remain free when it comes out of Beta and goes live.

You don’t need a Beta User’s account, just read all about this new 3D mindmapper, download it here and off you go. 

Worried about the expiry at the end of this year?  Don’t — that’s just to encourage our users to move on to the next version, or to the live version when it’s available.   We don’t want you using an old version when there’s a new one available.  Oh, and it’s a little bit selfish: We’d rather not receive reports of known and fixed bugs from people using out-of-date versions.

We hope you like it, and we look forward to your comments, plaudits and brickbats.

Roy

There’s a search engine dedicated to mind mapping that only looks at sites with useful mind mapping content.  I’m happy to say that http://www.topicscape.com has been picked as one of those sites.  

As the site says:

Use this to do a focused Google search of valued mind-mapping websites. This search box ignores the mindmapping bandwagon all-adverts sites, the trivial three-line posts about someone’s new mind-map, and pages for old software on software download sites.

I’ve tried some searches and it really does seem as focused, with few irrelevant results.

Here’s the link: http://www.mind-mapping.org/article_main.php.  On that page, there’s a concept mapping search engine as well.

Roy