Biggerplate 2012: Our Roadmap

We've achieved a fair bit in 2011... We rebuilt our entire website from scratch, more than doubled our member population, and established ourselves as the leading online mind map library according to several trusted experts!

We set ourselves numerous targets for 2011, but the two main goals were as follows:

• Reach 2,000 maps in the library.
• Reach 25,000 registered members.

I'm delighted to say that we have hit both these goals, and are feeling rather pleased with ourselves.

But we're not done yet...

2012 is going to be another big year for us, and I thought it might be interesting to outline some of our plans for 2012. If you have any thoughts, feedback, comments, or suggestions, I hope you will take a minute to share them either publicly (on this blog) or privately by contacting me directly.

There's no particular order to the following points, but it should give you an overall picture of some of the things to come... Some of it anyway... We can't be giving all the secrets away!

Groups: We had hoped to have this up and running by now, but someone opened the christmas egg nog early and everything seemed to get delayed a little. We're sure you understand...

This great new feature will enable you to create your own little slice of land on Biggerplate that's focused on a particular topic of interest, then gather people and maps related to that topic all in one place. For example, you might want to create a group that's focused on  "Mind Maps for Software Testing", and have a group pool that contains maps that are particularly relevant to this subject. Other users can then join this group and help gather together a collection of maps on this subject, and join discussion about the use/application of mapping in relation to the topic. Start thinking about your groups now, it's coming soon!

Tutorials: Long-time users of Biggerplate may remember that we used to have a section on the website for mind mapping tutorials. They may also remember that it was a bit rubbish! Soon however, we will begin building a brand spanking new tutorials section that will help mind mapping novices and experts alike to improve their skills. The experts within the Biggerplate Partner Network are kindly helping us to plan this section, so you can be confident that it will be full of great stuff to help you become a mind mapping ninja in no time!

Biggerplate Training: 

Released upon the world in 2012 will be a range of training products from Biggerplate intended to help organisations large and small to get to grips with mind mapping in their organisation. We have helped numerous individuals and organisations in this area over the years with training on request, and we thought it was about time we turned this into something that's available to everyone! Launching in early 2012 will be the following training programs from Biggerplate:

• Mind Mapping for Marketers
• Mind Mapping for Innovation
• Mind Mapping for Strategic Planning

If you can't wait until then, please feel free to contact us in advance at training@Biggerplate.com and we can give you some details. We are a global community and our training will be global too. Wherever you are in the world, whatever the budget, we've probably got something that can help! We are Biggerplate after all... we're just a little bit different. 

The Biggerplate League: Well... We don't want to give it all away. But put it this way, you may want to start uploading a few maps in advance...

In conclusion...

We have had a great year, and it has been driven by the continued support and contribution of  our members, and we therefore have a huge thank you to say to you all. Our aim is simple: "to be the best source of mind mapping content and community in the world". You have all helped us move closer to this goal by uploading maps, tweeting about us, giving us feedback, helping us test things, and generally being friendly, interesting, open-minded and collaborative people!

2012 is going to be very exciting, and we hope you will all continue to support us as we seek to reach 50,000 members and 5,000 maps by next Christmas. As always, the best thing you can do for us is to upload a map or two, it makes a huge difference!

I would like to wish you all a very happy Christmas, and the very best for an exciting and prosperous 2012!

Liam Hughes

Founder: Biggerplate

Partner Spotlight: Chance Brown (Mind Map Blog)

This week we had the chance to catch up with Biggerplate Partner and long-term contributor Chance Brown who spoke to us about his work in the field of mind mapping, and the importance of sharing ideas and information. Chance runs one of the most popular mind mapping blogs in the world, and has contributed over 40 maps to the Biggerplate library! 

1.       In 5 words, tell us what you do…

Help people to maximize mindmapping.

2.       When and how did you first become involved in the world of mind mapping?

I first became involved with mindmapping back in 1999.  Like many, I learned about mindmapping through the books of Tony Buzan.  As computer based mindmapping became more sophisticated, I started using mindmapping software to capture, organize, and manage information to get things done.  My mindmapping software of choice has been Mindjet’s MindManager.  I have been using it regularly since version 6.  After using mindmapping software for business and personal projects for many years, in June 2008, I created a blog to help others leverage the power of mindmapping.  Specifically in the areas of education, business, and personal life.  My blog is called The Mindmap Blog.  This blog has allowed me to share a wide range of mindmaps, showcase other mindmapping experts, and provide people with a variety ways to increase their productivity with mindmapping.

3.       What is the main focus of your work today?

Over the past 3 years, I’ve blogged about mindmapping via The Mindmap Blog.  Though I will continue to blog about mindmapping, starting in the 4^th Quarter of 2011, I will begin offering one-on-one mindmapping coaching sessions online.   These sessions will range from getting started with mindmapping to more advanced mindmapping topics that include information management and project management.   There will be two versions of each session, a one-hour version and a two-hour version.  The one-hour session will focus on mastering mindmapping fundamentals with respect to a given topic area, such as brainstorming or information management.  The two-hour version will build on the first hour by applying the learning to a business or personal project from the participant.  All sessions will be conducted using Fuse web-based meeting software.  MindManager will be the mindmapping software used during all sessions.

4.       What is it that excites you about the mind mapping arena?

I am most excited about the fact that mindmapping is gaining greater traction in the workplace as a key productivity tool.  Mindjet, for example, recently released MindManager 2012 which will help knowledge workers quickly leverage the benefits of mindmapping.   With this release, Mindjet has introduced a wide range of templates and processes to help people effectively use mindmapping for brainstorming and capturing ideas, organizing research, creating project plans, developing strategies, and managing meetings.  Additionally, with Mindjet Connect, their free cloud based service, teams can now collaborate with mindmaps as never before.   As more people learn about these tools and how they can literally transform the way you work, I think the mindmapping community will grow dramatically.  Biggerplate, of course, is helping with this expansion.   So, thank you for your wonderful site!  Did I say I’m excited about Biggerplate?  Well, I am.

5.       How can you help Biggerplate members to do more with mapping?

I can help Biggerplate members do more with mapping in two ways:

1. Members can download any of my 45 mindmaps that have been uploaded to Biggerplate (as of 12/20/11).  Members can use these mindmaps as resources on various topics.  Additionally, members can use these maps to generate ideas for creating and sharing their own mindmaps with the Biggerplate community.
2. For members interested in having a mindmapping expert walk them through the process of creating and leveraging mindmaps for increased productivity and effectiveness, they can attend one of my one-on-one mindmapping coaching sessions.

6.       In your opinion, what are the merits of a site and community like Biggerplate?

I’ve been a big fan of Biggerplate for a few years now.  The site has come a long way and today it is truly the premier mindmap library on the Internet.  In my opinion, there are three primary benefits of the Biggerplate site and community:

1.       Biggerplate offers  visual thinking approaches from people all over the world providing insight, knowledge, and visual creativity.

2.       Biggerplate allows you to download any of the thousands of mindmaps directly to your computer or iPad.

3.       Biggerplate allows you to share your own maps with the community enabling you to make a contribution to the variety of maps and overall growth of the site.

7.       Anything new and exciting coming up in your world?

My new one-on-one mindmapping coaching sessions via Fuse web-based meeting software.  Though each session will have clear objectives, they will also be flexible and tailored to the needs of each participant.

The first three sessions will be:

1.       Coaching Session 1: Getting Started with Mindmapping

2.       Coaching Session 2: Using Mindmapping as a Brainstorming and Collaboration Tool

3.       Coaching Session 3: Using Mindmapping to Manage Your Files, Folders, and Websites

All mindmapping software demonstrations will be conducted with MindManager.  However, many of the mindmapping concepts discussed during each session can be applied to other mindmapping software applications, such as iMindmap, Novamind, Xmind, etc.

We would like to thank Chance for his continued support of Biggerplate, and the excellent contribution he has made to our mind map library, and the world of mapping in general through his blog. 

To view mind maps by Chance Brown, click here>

To view the Mind Map Blog, click here>

To find Chance on Twitter, click here>

http://mindmapblog.com