I have recently been doing podcasts with organization and authors that have productivity tools that I believe are excellent personal growth and mastery applications. I was introduced to Michael Hollauf the founder of MindMeister through Gerald Aquila the founder of FireTask, and we speak in this podcast about an amazing cloud based application for mind mapping that he developed with his team called MindMeister. This application is so popular that within less than 6 years his user base has grown to over 1.6 million users.
If you are not familiar with mind mapping, it was made popular by British psychologist Tony Buzan. What is important to remember about mind mapping is that it allows our non-linear brains that normally think randomly to be able to capture the wonderful ideas, thoughts and inspirations on paper or the computer in a visual map.
Mind Mapping and the use of computer technology over the last 10 years had really excelled, and the cloud based application that Michael and his team has developed is a wonderful example of a collaborative cloud based application that makes the job of capturing ideas and thoughts with a team of people a snap.
A mind map starts usually with one central word or idea, then branches out from this initial concept. The branches then turn into sub-branches and you continue to develop the mind map as your thoughts flow and are recorded onto the mind map. It is like a cognitive map of sorts. I have links to some of the samples that MindMeister clients have shared just to give you an idea of what is possible using the MindMeister cloud based application. Just click here for a few examples.
The practical tools that would not be available using paper vs a cloud based system are that you can link notes, hypertext links to website, video, graphics, pictures almost anything that will help you in developing your brainstorming session and making it more comprehensive in nature. The best part about MindMeister is the ability to share your ideas with others on a team and publish your map for their feedback.
If you are in business or a student, then utilizing a cloud based mind mapping software is a wonderfully practical tool. I highly recommend the MindMeister cloud based system. If you want more information or would like to watch a few training videos about how to use the system please click here. You can also download a 30 day free trial by clicking here.
I hope you enjoy this great interview with the founder of MindMeister Michael Hollauf.
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