The Biggerplate Blog

How to Mind Map: New Training from Biggerplate

2012-01-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Are you new to mind mapping? Want to introduce it to your organisation? Looking for more widespread adoption within your business? Then Biggerplate can help!

Biggerplate are delighted to announce the launch of our mind map training services, providing unique and engaging training that is entirely focused on the use of mind maps in practical real world contexts. We can help organisations large and small to get the best out of mind mapping and mind mapping software!

To learn more, visit the Training Section of our website. Click here>

Biggerplate now offers the following training programs all over the world:

Mind Mapping for Innovation

Get those creative juices flowing, and turn great ideas into action using mind maps! If you are looking to develop a culture of innovation and learning within your business, then this workshop is a great first step!

Learn More>

Mind Mapping for Marketers

Designed specifically for marketers, this workshop will show you how to use mind maps for effective internal and external marketing analysis, planning, and communication.

Learn More>

Mind Mapping for Business Planning

See the big picture and the little details by using mind maps in your planning. This workshop will show you how to map out the future, and enable clear tactical action planning.

Learn More>

Introduction to Mind Mapping

Learn the principles of effective mind mapping and how to apply them in the real world with this introductory half-day workshop from Biggerplate.

Learn More>

If you're interested in learning more about these exciting training workshops, then please visit the Training Section of the website, or feel free to contact us using our simple online enquiry form>

How to Mind Map: SWOT Analysis

2012-01-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Today's mind map example looks at a map added by Mindjet's Michael Deutch in 2008. This SWOT Analysis mind map template has remained one of the most viewed and downloaded maps on the site. So what makes it such a good map?

There are a few key points:

Firstly, the mind map format is extremely well-suited to a task like SWOT analysis, and it helps you to breakdown and approach what can sometimes seem like a rather large and daunting task. Furthermore, the expansive nature of the map means that with a basic template such as this, you can expand upon subtopics to be truly thorough in your analysis of the competitive and market environment in which you are operating.

This works particular well for teams collaborating and brainstorming to put together a SWOT analysis, and here's one small reason why: If you start with a flip-chart (for example) and have a page each for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, you will be surprised how the list of things tends to conveniently run out when the person reaches the end of the page. Often this seems to be due to a mental state of "I've filled my sheet of paper, I can't think of anything else". Of course this is not true. But the medium does not encourage further exploration and thinking, in fact, it kills it dead. Missing out on key threats to your business simply because you didn't want to start a whole new piece of flip chart paper is slightly stupid! You may (or may not) be surprised how common this is, especially when issues of waste and the environment are so pressing!

The map template projected onto a screen (for example) therefore provides an infinite canvas with which to capture ideas and information. In this particular example, Michael has usefully added in a range of suggestions, comments, and questions to help further break down this process into manageable chunks. As always, the adaptability of the map in terms of moving, re-naming, or simply deleting information means it provides an excellent way of capturing and organising what might become a very large collection of information.

Finally, mind maps created using software provide an amazing tool for capturing research and information captured elsewhere, whether it's in the form of a hyperlink to a competitor website, an attachment containing last year's sales figures, or a more in depth analysis of a particularly point saved with subtopic notes. The amount of information that can be collected, organised, managed, and easily accessed via the mind map far outweighs any alternatives that we are aware of!

SWOT analysis is a great thing to do at the start of the year, and this example provides a great starting point for doing so! Give it a try!

You can download the free mind map template by clicking here.

How to Mind Map: Daily To-Do List

2012-01-17T03:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a great example of how a mind map template can help you on a daily basis.

Submitted to Biggerplate this week by SignosArg, it is a daily planning mind map that will help you keep on top of your to-do list. To view the map within the library, simply click the image or click here>

Mind maps like this are a great examples of how gathering information (in the form of tasks, ideas, actions etc) in a more visible and visual format can help you see quickly and easily where you need to focus your attention.

Simplicity in ordering information is often under-rated, and just the process of mapping out the information can be hugely beneficial in itself, even if you never look at the map again!

To really get the full benefit out of a map like this, you should however try to build it into your daily habits and routines, so it becomes a living/dynamic control centre for your world. Try opening it up a the start of the day, and also reviewing it before you leave the office at night, entering in the things you can see need to be done tomorrow. If you can establish this routine, you will also start to figure out whether the mind map needs to be adapted or changed in order to better reflect reality. For example, you might like to have saturday and sunday on there too, or you might like a separate subtopic for "Family".

As with all good mind map templates, this one provides an excellent starting point for you to make something that is personal and useful to you. Take a look, download it, and spend 10 minutes working through your own "to-do" list. You'll very quickly find you've got a clearer picture of everything, and a firm grasp of where to start first!

View the "To Do Mind Map" here>

Promote Your Mind Mapping Website (for free) Using Biggerplate

2012-01-10T02:09:00.000-08:00

So the new year is upon us, and we have set ourselves some pretty ambitious targets for growth over the next 12 months. It's our version of a new year's resolution: World Domination.

One of the ways we hope to fuel an increase in maps and membership is by encouraging those who run their own mind mapping blogs to join Biggerplate and use us to raise awareness of their own sites. This can all be done for free simply by joining up and actively participating in our community. Biggerplate is one of the best rated mind mapping sites in the world, and being active (and creating links) on our site can help you with search rankings and general web traffic, as you will be engaging with the largest online community of mind mappers in the world.

Here are three simple steps to help you raise awareness of your mind mapping website among our community:

1. Register with us - Simple, easy, and free to do. Takes 2 minutes.

2. Fill out your Biggerplate profile - Include links to your website, Twitter, Facebook etc, and tell people a little bit about who you are and how you use mind mapping. Here's an example profile from a real Biggerplate member and mind map blogger: www.biggerplate.com/cbrown

3. Upload some mind maps - Easy to do, and a great way of showing people how you use mind maps, and that you are a mind mapping expert! Little tip - Why not insert a link to your mind mapping website within the map itself, so that people who download it can click through to your site...

All in all, it's very simple, and creating a presence for yourself on Biggerplate is a fantastic way to make yourself known among the largest community of mind mappers in the world. Plus, if you share some maps with us, then Biggerplate will tell other people about them and help to raise your profile even further!
Already signed up? Why not try uploading a map now!

We like to collaborate, and we love to get new members and new maps on our site. Why not put us to the test, and make it your new year's resolution to join and contribute to Biggerplate? You won't regret it. Some of the leading experts in the world of mind mapping are already part of our community, and making a huge contribution to the spread of mind mapping as an approach. We'd love you to come join us too!

Biggerplate.com

Biggerplate 2012: Our Roadmap

2011-12-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

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)

2011-12-20T02:46:00.000-08:00

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 5words, tell us what you do…

Helppeople to maximize mindmapping.

2. Whenand 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 mindmappingthrough the books of Tony Buzan. Ascomputer based mindmapping became more sophisticated, I started usingmindmapping software to capture, organize, and manage information to get thingsdone. My mindmapping software of choicehas been Mindjet’s MindManager. I have been using it regularly since version6. After using mindmapping software forbusiness and personal projects for many years, in June 2008, I created a blogto help others leverage the power of mindmapping. Specifically in the areas of education,business, and personal life. My blog iscalled The Mindmap Blog. This blog has allowed me to share a wide rangeof mindmaps, showcase other mindmapping experts, and provide people with avariety ways to increase their productivity with mindmapping.

3. Whatis the main focus of your work today?

Over the past 3 years, I’ve blogged about mindmapping viaThe Mindmap Blog. Though I will continueto blog about mindmapping, starting in the 4^th Quarter of 2011, Iwill begin offering one-on-one mindmapping coaching sessions online. These sessions will range from gettingstarted with mindmapping to more advanced mindmapping topics that include informationmanagement and project management. There will be two versions of each session, aone-hour version and a two-hour version. The one-hour session will focus on mastering mindmapping fundamentalswith respect to a given topic area, such as brainstorming or informationmanagement. The two-hour version willbuild on the first hour by applying the learning to a business or personalproject from the participant. Allsessions will be conducted using Fuse web-based meetingsoftware. MindManager will be themindmapping software used during all sessions.

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

I am most excited about the fact that mindmapping is gaininggreater traction in the workplace as a key productivity tool. Mindjet, for example, recently releasedMindManager 2012 which will help knowledge workers quickly leverage thebenefits of mindmapping. With thisrelease, Mindjet has introduced a wide range of templates and processes to helppeople effectively use mindmapping for brainstorming and capturing ideas,organizing research, creating project plans, developing strategies, andmanaging meetings. Additionally, withMindjet Connect, their free cloud based service, teams can now collaborate withmindmaps as never before. As morepeople learn about these tools and how they can literally transform the way youwork, I think the mindmapping community will grow dramatically. Biggerplate, of course, is helping with thisexpansion. So, thank you for yourwonderful site! Did I say I’m excited aboutBiggerplate? Well, I am.

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

I can help Biggerplate members do more with mapping in twoways:

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.
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. Inyour 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 trulythe premier mindmap library on the Internet. In my opinion, there are three primary benefits of the Biggerplate siteand community:

1. Biggerplateoffers visual thinking approaches frompeople all over the world providing insight, knowledge, and visual creativity.

2. Biggerplateallows you to download any of the thousands of mindmaps directly to yourcomputer or iPad.

3. Biggerplateallows you to share your own maps with the community enabling you to make acontribution to the variety of maps and overall growth of the site.

7. Anythingnew and exciting coming up in your world?

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

The first three sessions will be:

1. CoachingSession 1: Getting Started with Mindmapping

2. CoachingSession 2: Using Mindmapping as a Brainstorming and Collaboration Tool

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

All mindmapping software demonstrations will be conductedwith MindManager. However, many of themindmapping concepts discussed during each session can be applied to othermindmapping 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

MindGenius Comes to Biggerplate!

2011-11-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

As we edge closer to the end of a very busy year at Biggerplate, we thought it would be nice if Christmas came a little early for mind mappers around the world, so we have added full support for MindGenius to the library at Biggerplate! This means you can now add MindGenius maps to the library for others to view and download!

We are very excited to welcomeMindGenius and their users to Biggerplate, especially as this has been highlyrequested by certain members of our community over the past six months! The focus onproject management within the MindGenius business and user-base means we expectto see a significant increase in both the quantity and quality of map contentin this area being shared on Biggerplate. As we continue to strengthen ourposition as a leading source of mind mapping content and community, our newpartnership with the fantastic team at MindGenius represents anothersignificant and exciting step in the right direction for Biggerplate and ourmembers!

We are working closely with the team from MindGenius to bring you some great new map content over the next few months, and we hope their users will engage with us and become highly active members of our community. As Derek Jack, Director of MindGenius, said "MindGenius are looking forward to being a part of the Biggerplate community and we would encourage our users to take the opportunity to use this medium and share their own expertise, and gain fresh ideas on applying MindGenius."

We look forward to welcoming MindGenius users to Biggerplate, and we thank the team at MindGenius for their hard work and help in making this great new collaboration come to life!

If you have not yet tried out MindGenius, we encourage you to do so, and you can access a free 30 day trial here>

Q & A with Chris Griffiths: Author of "GRASP The Solution"

2011-11-07T07:06:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting with Chris Griffiths, CEO of ThinkBuzan, and author of the new book: "GRASP The Solution".
I asked Chris a few questions about his new book, the importance of creative thinking in tough times, and how to turn good ideas into reality. Here are his thoughts:

Chris, how long has the idea for this book been in your mind, and can you briefly outline the focus of the book for us?

Youcould say that the idea’s been there for decades. I’ve always been interestedin brain based thinking theories and processes and in what thought leaders aroundthe world were saying and doing. Theidea had been there for a while but the hardest thing was putting intoperspective how there are so many fantastic tools out there, what can we do tomake those tools even more effective?I felt that many people who were using thinking and creativity tools weremissing a vital ingredient - the context in which they used the tool.Someone who’s looking to get fit knows that they need to exercise and so theymake the decision to go to the gym and use the equipment (the tools) there. Butif they don’t exercise or use the gym equipment in the right way or context,for instance, by training after eating a three-course meal or while wearing abusiness suit, or by neglecting their diet, they’re not going to achieve thebest results!

Withthis book I wanted to answer the question - how can you make any thinking toolmore effective? Well you can do this by ensuring that you’ve set up the rightenvironment and mindset – the context- in which you’re using the tool before you use it.

2) Is there any specific type of person, ortype of job, that the ideas in this book are most relevant to?

Thebook has a definite business focus in that it’s geared at entrepreneurs, managers,coaches and professionals. But the principles and strategies in the book arerelevant to anyone who has a challenge to overcome or goal to meet, be itpersonal or professional. It’s pretty much applicable to anyone who’sinterested in making better decisions and solving problems more effectively.Success in work and life is predetermined by whether you make good or baddecisions. You can’t make fantastic decisions all the time but if you canincrease your chances of making better, more informed decisions by using aprocess, such as the four-step process which is part of the GRASP The Solution (GTS) system, thenyou increase your chances of being successful. Even children can benefit fromit! The GRASP material has actually been included in an accreditedqualification endorsed by a major UK awarding body to help maximise thinking skillsin children. But overall, the book’s slant is very much towards a businessaudience.

3) The importance of creativity andcreative thinking is something the book focuses heavily on. Why do you thinkthe ability to think creatively is so important now, and why do you thinkcreativity is so often the first thing to suffer when people are busy, or timesare hard?

Ithink that first of all we have to be able to distinguish between creativityand innovation. Creativity is important today in that it’s a fundamental driverfor innovation and my definition of innovation is “the marriage of creativethinking and sound logic, which when applied together, create a solution ordirection for one to explore and deliver”. My approach doesn’t focus purely oncreativity. GRASP The Solution is avery pragmatic book which helps you find a solution to a challenge or adirection to explore. A big part of that process involves being creative andthat’s why lots of attention is paid to the idea generation stage andgenerative thinking strategies are used all the way through. But, just asimportant are all the other components and stages that people need to workthrough to reach a congruent solution. Most people think that creative thinkingis about having lots of ideas, and if they’re already sitting on a pile ofideas or they’re strapped for time, it’s not going to be something theyprioritise. But being successfully innovative isn’t just about having ideas - itinvolves a whole lot more. You need to define the challenge, generate ideas, evaluateand analyse those ideas and objectively decide how to take the rightideas forward. At the end of it all, a good idea is still just an idea untilyou actually do something with it.

4) Many people will say they are not a‘creative type’ or that they don’t have a creative brain. What message does thebook have for people who think like this and how can it help?

Well,I think the book is for the most part quite prescriptive. Good creativethinking, as with any other task, needs to have a defined system and processbehind it to make sure it’s performed in the most logical way. This might soundsurprising but logic and creativity are actually very closely related, youcan’t do one without the other to any great extent. Lots of people believe they aren’t creative.Some are just plain scared to be creative in their organisation, perhapsbecause they fear ridicule. Quite often the person we perceive to be the‘creative type’ is the one who comes out with all the weird and wacky or fluffyideas. There’s no sound, practical logic behind them in terms of theirapplication in the real world.

Ifeel that one of the key benefits of this book is that it’s very methodical andhas a common sense approach. It includes processes and techniques that willallow anyone to be creative. And absolutely everyone has the potentialto be creative, without a shadow of a doubt. If somebody says they can’t be creative,usually what they really mean is they’re not being innovative. They aren’tputting new ideas into practice. And there’s a good reason for this. How many individualsdo you know who have had a schooling that included ongoing classes and courseson creativity and innovation? It’s extremely rare for people to have beentaught how to be creative, so most people just don’t know how to do it. They thinkall they need to do is run a brainstorming session or idea generationprogramme. But that’s not being creative. Creative thinking needs to be part ofan innovation process. And the innovative process is necessary to help you finda solution to a challenge or overcome some form of sameness. So, for anyone tosay they’re not the creative type is fundamentally wrong – they just don’t knowhow to be creative and innovative in a systematic way.

5) Key to the book is the “GRASP” concept,which suggests an awareness of different modes of thinking can help us improvethe overall quality of our thinking. Can you give us a taste of what isinvolved here?

Themetaphor of a marathon can help to explain this. If someone sets themselves agoal to run a marathon, they can’t expect to just turn up on the day andcomplete it successfully. They have to prepare for it long before. They have toknow how to train, how to eat, they have to have the right practice scheduleand equipment/clothing. Everything has to be set up correctly to surround thatone small event which is the marathon. And I use the term ‘small’ because it’severything that happens before the marathon that allows them to perform theactivity to the best of their ability.

Mostpeople don’t realise that they allow external influences to dictate what theycan and can’t do. The key to good creativity and innovation programmes is notso much knowing what to do, what idea generating games, tools andtactics to use etc. - it’s knowing what NOTto do. It’s becoming common knowledge that creativity diminishes with age.There are numerous standardised tests worldwide that show a marked decline increativity as we age and the results of our own ThinkBuzan creativity testwhich we’ve conducted on over 5000 people can verify this. This decline comesabout because the conventions and assumptions which are put on us througheducational systems and our early work life restrict our creativity and wedevelop a fear of failure, of getting things wrong.

Butwe can all overcome this. First we have to recognise some very simple basics.Without awareness, you stop yourself from being as creative and innovative asyou have the potential to be. You could have the best tools, the best processesbut if you don’t know what thinking habits to avoid, they won’t do you muchgood. Knowing what not to do is actually quite difficult – because you don’tknow what you don’t know. Yet a lack of realisation will kill countlessbrilliant ideas that are buried in the back of your mind.

TheGRASP concept is really very simple and works on the basis that the mode ofthinking you’re in always dictates how you approach a task or decision. GRASPwas devised to help you understand at a high altitude level how your mode ofthinking can influence your creativity. It’s an acronym of the fives modes ofthinking that I’ve found to be most relevant in terms of their influence oncreativity and innovation – Generative, Reactive, Analytical, Selective andProactive. If you’re in a reactivemode of thinking most of the time, and unfortunately most people are, you allowan external event, idea or person to influence your thoughts and decisions. Youend up being a ‘follower’ in the big scheme of things, your progress is beingled by someone or something else. Being innovative requires strategic planning;it requires proactive thinking andmetacognition, the highest form of thinking. This is what allows you to put astrategy around your thinking so you can lead, not follow.

Ispeak to a lot of audiences around the world and, when I explain GRASP, you canliterally see their faces light up because they suddenly realise why theirearlier innovation programmes have failed, despite all the time and moneyinvested in them. They failed simply because people didn’t understand the absolutefundamentals of their thinking. You need to get into the right frame of mindand put an end to certain habits and patterns before you can actually get down to the business of being creativeand innovative.

6) Obviously your work on thinking skills is heavily influencedand shaped by your involvement with Tony Buzan and the world of mind mapping.What role has mapping played in shaping the creation and contents of the book?

TonyBuzan is the individual I would consider most responsible for leading me downmy own path of exploration into thinking, creativity and innovation. His MindMapping technique is easily one of the most powerful creative thinking tools onthe planet. Absolutely everyone, every child, every adult should do it assecond nature. I don’t believe Mind Mapping should be a separate exercise,something that’s reserved only for specific tasks - it should be done as amatter of course.

Linearnote-taking and writing is such a massive inhibitor to creative thinking andprogress. It defies logic. If we were set the challenge to create a newnote-taking form based on all the information we have from history and science,there’s no doubt that it would have to include images, colour, structure, wordsand numbers. And this is exactly what the Mind Map does. It pulls in all theseresources and that’s what makes it so effective for not only taking down yourthoughts and information but also for building on them.

TonyBuzan’s work has touched the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.If I can go partway to doing the same with the GRASP The Solution (GTS) systemthen I’ll be doing my bit to help people think and work better. Mind Mappingplays a significant role in the book simply because it works! There are MindMap summaries throughout the book and instructions and templates are given onhow to use Mind Mapping for all the different activities, from defining yourchallenge, to generating ideas, to evaluating those ideas using whole brainthinking and ultimately setting your goals and action plans. So Mind Mapping isthe practical device that you use to record and build on your ideas as you workthrough the creative process. It’s an important tool and the GTS systemprovides the context and process for using that tool in an even more effectiveway. If you enjoy Mind Mapping but you’re not using it much because you’re notsure how to use it or you’re a bit stuck in what you’re doing with it, thenhopefully the GTS system will help to open your options and give you anotherperspective on your application of it. It can really take your Mind Mapping toanother level.

7) The book not only focuses on how to helppeople create new/better ideas, but also helps them to put ideas into actionusing the ‘Solution Finder’ approach. We have all experienced situations wheregood discussions and ideas go no further than the meeting room, so how can theSolution Finder help?

In anutshell, the Solution Finder helps because it puts a practical system andprocess behind the act of creativity. My experience is that people are gettingfed up of hyped up creativity schemes and programmes. They’re just too fluffy.People are demanding clear, pragmatic systems and processes for innovation thatthey can apply in the real world. A good innovation process makes sure that youhave all the right ingredients and tools to generate original ideas, todetermine the right answer to your particular challenge and to actively take itto fruition. This is what the Solution Finder is. It’s a very simple butwell-developed process. There are only four steps but each step isscientifically backed by the latest research in neuroscience and managementpsychology and by my own extensive research and observations over the years. Thesteps are there to help you deliver ‘practical creativity’. This is somethingthat many managers and professionals struggle with. The Boston Consulting Groupconducted a survey in 2008 which showed that two-thirds of senior executivesplaced innovation as one of their top three strategic priorities. But whenthese executives were questioned on which initiatives they were most happy within terms of return on investment, innovation didn’t even factor! While it wasone of their top priorities, they couldn’t seem to deliver on it. I think this is because most executives onlyuse partial strategies. For instance, they might have their favourite brainstormingtechniques and certain analytical tools that they’re comfortable using but theydon’t cover the ‘whole’. There isn’t a system or process in place to structuretheir entire innovation approach. Unless you have complete balance at everystage, you’re going to have less chance of taking your ideas forward and makingthem a success.

Thebenefit of the Solution Finder is that it sets out all the steps and all thetools you need to help you find the right idea to overcome your challenge. Andwhat you’ll find is that you can be much more confident about carrying the ideaforward because you’ll have performed everything correctly to get there. Eachstep of the Solution Finder guides you into the most appropriate mode ofthinking for the activity you’re working on and so in the end you can becertain that you’re heading in the right direction. Have you ever noticed thatwhen you rush into making a decision, eventually you start feeling reallyunsure about it? It’s difficult to believe in an idea wholeheartedly whenyou’ve rushed into picking it without exploring the situation thoroughly. Whatusually happens is that you end up second guessing it for the next six months.You never get behind it 100 per cent.

8) Finally, what impact would you most likethe book to have on people who read it?

Firstly,I’d like people to understand how thinkingabout their thinking can dramatically change their effectiveness andproductivity. For the majority of people, thinking is justsomething that happens – they reactfrom one event to another, or they’re selectivewith the information they see and hear. If you want to be innovative, you haveto have a ‘grasp’ of how the mind works and this is the purpose of the GRASP concept.Once you’re aware that being in the wrong thinking mode can hinder your abilityto be creative, it becomes very easy to take control and generate new ideas.

Thesecond thing I’d like people to take away from this book is that the creativeprocess is essentially logical. You can have a set of processes which make it tangible and pragmatic. I recently had aconversation with Stephen Shapiro, a leading innovation author and consultant,and we both agreed that one of the most important steps in the creative processis to define the problem. Yet this is the step that most people skip! Missing out any step of the processreduces your chances of making the best decisions, and more so with this onebecause it’s the step that sets the principal direction for your thinking.

Sotogether, the main impact of the book would be to help people understand howthey can put a strategy around theirthinking very simply using GRASP and the Solution Finder whenever they have tomake a decision or overcome a challenge. By working through all the stages andswitching fluently between the right modes of thinking, people will be amillion times more empowered to be innovative and confident in their finaldirection.

GRASP The Solution is available in both paperback and electronic form and can be viewed/purchased here>>>

Biggerplate Partner: Creamatics

2011-10-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

Whilst attending the Mindjet Roadshow in Rotterdam I had the chance to meet up with Biggerplate Partner Hans Terhurne of Creamatics. We had long and wide-ranging discussions over the day, and we also managed to grab a short video interview to discuss the power of "elegant stealing", the value of mind mapping as an approach, and the importance of creativity in innovation! Take a look...

We thank Hans for his long-term support of Biggerplate, and for taking the time to film this short video. You can learn about how Hans can help you get more out of mapping by visiting the Creamatics website at www.creamatics.nl

You can also follow Hans on Twitter: @hansterhurne

Mindjet Roadshow: Chris Harman (Mindjet) Interview

2011-10-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I was very fortunate to be able to attend Mindjet Roadshow events in both London and Rotterdam, which were fantastic events, and an ideal opportunity for me to meet numerous Biggerplate members from the UK and the Netherlands. It also gave me a chance to catch up with Chris Harman (Regional VP for Mindjet) and have a chat about the great new product releases from Mindjet, and the exciting road ahead...

Thanks to Chris and all those at Mindjet who worked hard to create such interesting events, and thanks to all those who came and introduced themselves - it is great to learn about your worlds, and how mapping (and Biggerplate) fit in!

Biggerplate Partner Interview: Oval Business Solutions

2011-09-30T04:01:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of visiting Adrian Griffith from Oval Business Solutions, who are a Biggerplate Partner, and great contributor of mind maps to our library! Adrian and I filmed a brief interview where we discussed their business, our community, and the power of mapping. Take a look:

Oval Business Solutions provide some fantastic services that help people exploit software and technology (including mind mapping software) to achieve more in their working lives. The business (led by Adrian) continues to develop new and exciting services based around mapping, and also run training workshops to help people get the most out of mind mapping software.

We are delighted to have Oval as a partner, and hope Biggerplate members will take the time to explore the expert help available from Adrian and his team!

Learn More:
> Oval Business Solutions Website
> Oval Profile on Biggerplate Partner Network
> Mind Maps by Adrian Griffith on Biggerplate

Mind Mappers World Map

2011-09-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like you are the only mind mapper in a linear world? Well, you're not, so don't feel lonely!

Our brilliant new world map shows the location of some of the Biggerplate members around the world, and there are loads! To add your pin to the map and show where others where you are mapping from, simply login and add your location to your profile!
Mappers are taking over the world! Make sure you are visible - add your location!

Back to School Mapping!

2011-08-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

As the kids head back to school, no doubt with a host of important new stationary and books, one highly important thing that may be missing from their rucksack is a tool that could help them to reach new levels of achievement in the coming year: Mind Mapping!

If you are a member of Biggerplate, you have probably already experienced the positive impact that mapping can have on your own planning, organisation, creativity, learning, and more. But when was the last time you took the time to explain to someone what mind mapping is or how it might be relevant and useful to them?

In the business world, you may have had lots of these conversations, and perhaps (more often than not) felt like you were banging your head against a brick wall! But have you ever introduced a child to mind mapping? While people in the corporate world tend to resist new approaches like the plague, children tend to absorb and embrace them extremely easily provided the benefit to them is made very clear very quickly. Whenever I'm introducing mapping to children, I make the benefits very clear: "Mind Mapping will help you understand things more easily and remember them more clearly". Why make it any more complex than that? Show them a colourful mind map about a subject they can relate to (perhaps something they are covering at school) and you will most likely have captured sufficient interest to enable further exploration and explanation...

It is important to outline the key principles of mind mapping to some degree, as this can help provide basic parameters for early attempts, which can be a big help for some children. In essence; encourage them to stick to just one or two key words per line, as this will trigger more generative and expansive thinking than simply writing out long sentences. Encourage the use of colour and images, and try to explain the importance of using symbols or icons to create codes for themselves on the page (for things like "this is important"). Other than than, encourage them to get as much on the page/screen as possible! To learn about the 'mind map laws' try this mind map from Biggerplate.

Personally, I think iMindMap from ThinkBuzan is the most accessible program for children, and the level of colour and 'hand drawn' style makes it more visually engaging for them in my experience. Plus there is a free version! You can download a trial from the ThinkBuzan website by clicking here

I would like to invite and encourage all members of Biggerplate to make it their own objective for the school term to show their son/daughter/niece/nephew etc how to use mind mapping. They may not realise it yet, but (if successful) you will have given them the ultimate tool to tackle all manner of challenges in their school careers and beyond!

If you are successful in getting a child mapping, why not encourage them to upload their work to Biggerplate for others to see? Alessio Bernardelli has shared some great examples of maps he has created with his young boys, and you can see and admire their handiwork here: Alessio's Profile.

Plus, there are a huge number of maps available in the 'Education Section' of the Biggerplate library, covering a huge range of subjects for students of all ages!

Go now, spread the good word to the young people of this world! You can then sit back safe in the knowledge that you have also helped the mind map users of the future to have the brick wall conversation with one less person!

The Biggerplate Partner Network

2011-07-22T03:42:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely thrilled to be able to introduce you to our newly launched Partner Network, which brings together some of the leading mind mapping experts from around the world and enables you to learn and benefit from their knowledge, experience, products, and services.

Our aim is to create a place where members of Biggerplate can go to obtain information and assistance from experts that they can trust.

Our partners include training providers, software developers, and expert bloggers, but all have one thing in common: they are all recognised leaders in the field of mind mapping. View the Partner Network

We are delighted to be working more closely with this fantastic collection of people, and I am extremely confident that the partnership between Biggerplate and these organisations will be hugely beneficial to the Biggerplate community as a whole. The 'Partner' status should be seen as an indication of expertise and knowledge that is fully endorsed, recommended, and trusted by Biggerplate, and you can therefore be fully confident in engaging with any of the individuals or organisations within the network.

The Founding Members of our Partner Network are as follows:

- Olympic Limited (View Website)
- Oval Business Solution (View Website)
- The Mind Mapping Software Blog (View Website)
- Jamie Nast (View Website)
- Puzzlebox (View Website)
- The Mind Map Blog (View Website)

We look forward to welcoming new partners in the near future, and in the meantime, I invite and encourage you to learn about our partners and engage with them fully. They are some of the most collaborative and helpful experts you can find, and I am convinced you will benefit hugely from knowing more about them!

View the Biggerplate Partner Network

20,000 Members and the "Mainstream" Mission

2011-07-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday on Biggerplate we reached another significant landmark on our journey to greatness - 20,000 registered members on Biggerplate.com!

When we are reminded every day of how many millions of people use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc it is perhaps easy to lose perspective on numbers when it comes to websites. I encourage you to stop for a second and think what 20,000 people would look like if they were stood in front of you in real life right now... Quite amazing! Now consider that each one of these individuals stood in front of you shares your interest in mind mapping, and is (like you) also keen to exchange knowledge, ideas, and inspiration through mind maps on Biggerplate.com. That is a very interesting group of 20,000 people, and one that I feel very excited to be part of. Hopefully you feel the same!

Of course we would like (one day) to be celebrating 1,000,000 members, but for now we will take enormous amounts of pride from the fact that we have worked hard to create something that is of genuine interest and value to the mind mapping community. When I browse through the maps on Biggerplate, I never fail to notice something new, and am continually amazed by the innovative ways that people are using mind maps in their lives! Long may it continue!

Reaching this milestone is not only the result of some hard work on our side, but also a great deal of good will and support from our community. While I cannot personally thank every individual who has ever uploaded a map, or tweeted about Biggerplate, or 'liked' a Facebook update etc, I can say in all sincerity that we never stop appreciating what our users do to help us grow. The little things (tweets, 'likes' etc) make a big difference, and the big things (adding a map) make an enormous difference. Thank you to everyone who has done some or all of the above!

When people talk about getting mind mapping to reach 'mainstream' status, I must confess to feeling slightly mixed emotions. On the one hand, I feel excited about the prospect of more people being able to harness the power of mapping, and more people joining Biggerplate and contributing to the wealth of knowledge and inspiration that the library now represents. On the other hand however, the selfish part of me thinks that if mapping ever did reach that mainstream point, I would actually miss the days of being part of something that is a little bit niche, a little bit different, and a little bit ours...

I encourage everyone who desires mainstream acceptance of mapping to enjoy being part of something non-mainstream while it lasts, and where better to do that than Biggerplate? Enjoy being part of something that is big, and yet small. Share your ideas, your maps, and your stories with the other members of our enlightened group, and you will not be disappointed with the response. That way, when 'mainstream' happens, you can join 20,000 others in getting misty-eyed about the glory days before everyone knew about mind mapping...

Someone recently added a map to the Biggerplate library about Apple's "Think Differently" campaign, and it was a timely reminder of what I love about Biggerplate and the community that has gathered there: "Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits, the rebels, the round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently... You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do, is ignore them"

To each and every one of the 20,000 'crazy ones' on Biggerplate who think differently, I say enjoy being a round peg in a square-pegged world while we can. Eventually, the rest will catch up... they simply can't ignore us!

Thanks for all the support!

Liam
Founder: Biggerplate

XMind on Biggerplate!

2011-06-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

Biggerplate are delighted to announce that our mind map library now supports maps created using XMind mapping software!

We are excited to welcome another great piece of mind mapping software to Biggerplate, and hope that XMind users from around the world will soon be sharing their maps with us and showcasing what this great software is capable of! Upload a Map Now>

The addition of XMind to the library is yet another exciting step forward for Biggerplate, and a testament to a fantastic piece of software that has been making some big waves within the mind mapping world!

XMind has rightly earned a very large and loyal following for itself, as users have been won over by simple design, highly effective functionality, and an extremely competitive pricing model.

The free version offers a level of functionality that would put several paid software providers to shame, and the Pro version adds layers of business-oriented features that further enhance the program’s appeal.

The open source nature of XMind means this software is sure to evolve with the needs and wishes of consumers and developers, which will help to ensure it can continually provide a highly affordable, user-friendly, and extremely effective mind mapping experience for a wide range of user types.

We're off to celebrate Biggerplate getting that little bit bigger with XMind!!!

Biggerplate & iThoughts

2011-06-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

Check out this great video from Craig Scott at iThoughts which shows you just how quick and easy it is to open mind maps from Biggerplate directly into iThoughts on the iPad or the iPhone!

Great new addition to Biggerplate, and hopefully will make it even easier for our members to get started with mobile mapping!

To download iThoughts HD for the iPad, click here>

To download iThoughts for the iPhone, click here>

Biggerplate - Interview with Tony Buzan

2011-05-23T03:12:00.000-07:00

Biggerplate & iMindMap 5

2011-05-04T04:31:00.000-07:00

I am personally absolutely thrilled to have recently added iMindMap 5 to Biggerplate, which means iMindMap users can now add their maps to the site for others to view and download! Try it Now!

This is a very big addition to Biggerplate, and another firm indication that the new version of our site (launched in March 2011) is really going to be pushing forward and constantly improving for the benefit of our members, and the wider mind mapping community.

We will be posting a full review of iMindMap 5 soon, so I will not go into too much product detail here, but instead I wanted to give you an idea of why I am so excited to be adding iMindMap 5 to Biggerplate, and to be working with the team from ThinkBuzan.

Those of you who have seen my launch announcement video (view here) will know that I was fortunate enough to have been invited by ThinkBuzan to learn about their business and iMindMap 5 at one of their fantastic training courses in Dubai. Over the course of 5 days, there were essentially 3 things that left me in absolutley no doubt that iMindMap would be a fantastic addition to Biggerplate.

1. The Software: Put simply; iMindMap 5 is not like anything else out there. The natural, organic style of map is truly unique, and the technical complexity behind this mapping style and seemingly simple interface is quite astonishing. The user experience feels seemless, and the ability to create maps that truly feel like they have been hand-drawn in some way, is incredibly powerful. Learn More.

2. The ThinkBuzan Team: It is always refreshing to meet people who love what they do, and even better when those people can raise the same level of enthusiasm in others.

Training delivered by Emily and Owen combined exensive product knowledge with an extremely approachable and empathetic style that helped both experts and amateurs (me) get to grips with iMindMap quickly, and in a way that made it contextually relevant to thier respective worlds.

Brian Lee (Chairman of ThinkBuzan) provided humour, gravitas, and eloquence in equal measure, and was an absolute pleasure to engage with. As a member of his family will soon be attending my old school, it is safe to say he has also has good taste too...

Tony Buzan spoke of his passion and vision for 'Global Mental Literacy' with an energy that left no doubt in the minds of those in attendance that the greatest challenge and opportunity in the contemporary world is enabling everyone to harness the true potential of their brain.

CEO Chris Griffiths is perhaps the epitome of a man on a mission! His focus on getting iMindMap 5 "right" is not only admirable, but clearly effective, as demonstrated by the quality of the new software release. Chris is passionate about building upon the legacy of Tony, but is also making a contribution to the mind mapping mission that perhaps even he does not quite know the value of yet. This is demonstrated best by the fact that you can now get a free version of iMindMap 5, which is a huge step for a commercial organisation to take, but one that Chris is utterly commited to. Learn More.

ThinkBuzan then, is a group with whom Biggerplate can have a productive, collaborative, and enjoyable long-term relationship, and this will surely benefit mind map users all over the world!

3. The iMindMap Users: In attending the Dubai workshop, I was delighted to meet a mix of experienced and new iMindMap users, who were all seeking to learn about iMindMap 5 and put it into use in their respective fields. The energy, ethusiasm and attitude of the group (which was comprised of around 10 different nationalities) was universally positive and gave me great reason to believe that adding iMindMap to Biggerplate would enable us to engage with an entirely new community of pro-active mind map users who can contribute to our site. My hope is that these new users will immediately begin adding their maps to Biggerplate, and help us to add to the collection of maps already shared by existing members of our community who have contributed so much already.

In conclusion: the addition of iMindMap 5 to Biggerplate is an extremely positive step, and will ensure our community will continue to grow and spread even further. Perhaps more importantly, it will mean that we can gather even more fantastic user-generated mind mapping content within our library, and help others see the immense variety of ways in which mind mapping can be used!

I encourage all our existing users to continue adding maps to the site, and I invite our new iMindMap users to try adding some of their own maps to the library as soon as possible! Try it Now!

Liam Hughes
Founder: Biggerlate

Biggerplate Now Supports iMindMap 5!

2011-04-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Biggerplate: Location Location Location

2011-04-25T03:06:00.000-07:00

Where in the World?

2011-04-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know you can now display your location as part of your Biggerplate mini profile?

Perhaps you didn't even realise you could create a mini profile on Biggerplate? Fair enough. Let's take a quick look at what it is, and why we encourage you to take a look!

When we rebuilt Biggerplate and launched the new site in March 2011, we wanted to ensure the community side of the website was more visible and obvious to users. In essence, we wanted people to realise that they were part of a large, active, and continually growing community of mind map users from all over the world!

We added a few simple things to try and achieve this (for example; the counter on the homepage that shows the steady growth in membership) but the biggest addition we made in this respect was the creation of what we called "mini profiles".

The mini profile enables users to fill out a little information about themselves, and also create links to their own website, blog, and social networks. The idea is not to create another social network on Biggerplate (we shuddered at the thought of it), but instead enable our users to learn a little about one another, and then connect using their preferred social networks.

We hope this will help users understand a little more about the context in which maps are created, and also enable people to make new and interesting connections on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter that will help strengthen the links within the mind mapping community!

Recently, we have added the "Location" feature, which enables you to show other users where in the world you are from. We know from our website analytics that our users come from every possible country you can think of, so we want to show the diversity of backgrounds by mapping our mappers! This little addition is part of a larger project that will be launching later in the year, that will illustrate just how widespread and active the community at Biggerplate has become. Get involved now, and you won't regret it!!!

So why not have a go at filling out your own mini profile? It takes a matter of seconds, and is a great way to tell others about yourself, your business, and your use of mind mapping! To get started, click here (You will be asked to login, then you will be able to create your profile).

Once completed, your profile can be found at www.biggerplate.com/yourusername

You can see an example profile here: Liam Hughes Profile

Ten Management Mind Maps from Biggerplate

2011-03-30T06:51:00.001-07:00

This is the first of (what we hope) will be many short blog posts that let you know about interesting new content that has been added to the Biggerplate mind map library by our users. We try our best to heap praise on those members that upload their mind maps to our site, as they are the driver behind the growth of Biggerplate as a website and a community. We will therefore be taking a more active approach in using this blog to identify, talk about, and promote new and interesting mind map content that is added to Biggerplate by our fantastic members! This first one is cheating a bit, as it is from us, but we thought we'd start with an easy one! We thought this would be a useful mind map to create and share with people, as it acts as a very quick and easy directory to some great content for people involved in management roles. There are many more mind maps in the "Management" category within Biggerplate, but this map contains a small selection of those that we thought would be of interest. It seems mind mapping has real use for managers (and those aspiring to be managers), perhaps because it is a great way of seeing both the whole picture and the small details, which is after all, a talent that all the best managers must have. Using a mind map as a management dashboard, or to guide a particular process, is a great way of ensuring you can retain your managerial overview, whilst also being able to spot areas for attention by diving deeper into the detail (such as task and resource information). Given the pressure many managers find themselves under these days, a tool that helps you to do this would surely be a god-send, and we would suggest that a mind map is good place to start. Hopefully some of the maps contained within this directory map can provide you with a template to get you started, or help you identify what sort of management mind map you might need to create for yourself... View "10 Mind Maps for Managers"

Biggerplate: Pointless, No?

2011-03-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

A tweet this evening grabbed my attention, and compelled me to come to the blog to share my thoughts. The tweet read:

"A library of other people's mind maps - sort of pointless no? www.biggerplate.com"

My instant reaction was pure intrigue. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, but I found this to be a most interesting perspective, and one that I have not encountered in the three years that Biggerplate has been online.

Is someone genuinely suggesting that a large collection of interesting ideas and information in a visually engaging format, shared by people from all over the world, is a pointless idea? Maybe. Perhaps someone had better go tell YouTube, Slideshare and Prezi. And probably the rest of the internet actually.

Let's not pretend Biggerplate is anywhere near the scale of the three names above, but the principle is exactly the same in many ways, and I would perhaps even suggest that Biggerplate has equal or greater practical use. A grand claim indeed. "How could a mind map library be more practical and useful than a video of a sneezing panda?" I can hear the incredulous cries now, so let me explain using some over-simplistic examples.

If you are a mind map user who is about to undertake the writing of a business plan, you might start from scratch and create a very nice business plan, using your mind map (created out of nothing) as the tool for structuring and collecting your thoughts. A time consuming process no doubt, but an invaluable one. Alternatively, you might visit Biggerplate, search for "Business Plan", download a great template mind map, and start the process by adapting, changing and personalising the information contained within the mind map template to your own personal situation. Probably a quicker process, but any less valuable?

A second quick example: You are a 16 year old school pupil studying the Second World War, and possibly feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of information you need to digest. Perhaps you search within Biggerplate for this topic, find a mind map, download it, and use this map as the starting point to guide your own research, information gathering, and learning. Suddenly you have somewhere to start (ever struggled to get off the blank page?) and an adaptable collection of useful information and ideas to guide/stimulate you. Pointless?

I'm guessing the thinking behind the tweet is that a mind map is only of use to the person who has created it, and therefore a collection such as ours is of no use to anyone but the map creators themselves. Let us ignore the fact that numerous mind maps on Biggerplate have been downloaded several thousand times each, suggesting that some people have found some use for them. Let us also ignore the fact that what people download from Biggerplate is not a static and unchangeable image of a mind map, but is a dynamic, entirely adaptable mind map file that they can do what they like with. Instead, let's focus on the idea that the collective ideas, thoughts, knowledge and work of others, gathered together in any format (let alone a mind map), freely available for others to view, download, absorb, study, adapt and utilise is essentially "pointless".

What a dangerous idea for the world.

Everything the human race has ever achieved has been the result of making imaginative associations and interpretations relating to information already in existence, whether that "information" has been presented through nature ("what if that roundish rock was more round..."), through man, through technology, or anything else for that matter. To suggest that either of the two people in the examples above would not have created their own interpretations of the mind map content they downloaded, and therefore derived purpose or use from doing so, is to essentially ignore how the human brain works.

If I asked ten people to write the first word that comes into their head when I say "Banana", do you think that each person will immediately think of exactly the same word? I suspect not. What is more likely to happen is that the entire history of each person, and everything they have ever learned/known, will influence the first word that comes into their mind. And I am likely therefore to get a few different answers.

Do we therefore think that ten different people who download the same mind map, are going to have exactly the same mental response and use for it? Again, I suspect not. A single mind map can contain hundreds of words, images and icons, but what it essentially contains is a huge number of ideas. And when has it ever been a "pointless" thing to share ideas?

I'm sure I'm not alone in seeing the irony of someone posting this thought on Twitter, which is after all a platform for sharing ideas, perspectives and information that are open to interpretation, re-interpretation and adaptation by others. Not unlike a certain mind map library I know...

I hope the tweeter will share the thinking behind their tweet (I have asked), as it does raise interesting questions whichever way you read/interpret it. And isnt that the very beauty and "point" of it?

Liam

Join the Biggerplate Beta Test

2011-02-16T07:33:00.000-08:00

It's been a little while since this blog was updated, but we have a good excuse this time - we've been working away on building a brand new version of the Biggerplate mind map library!

The new version of our site should be up and running in the next couple of weeks if everything goes ok, and you can look forward to a host of great new features, and improvements on what you have no doubt come to love about the current website :-)

Here's a screenshot of the new homepage. Shiny...

As part of our preparation for launching the new site, we are currently conducting a small beta test that will help us to iron out any problems, whilst also giving a select group of people the chance to use the new website and test out how everything works. If you would like to take part in this beta test, please contact Liam immediately at liam@biggerplate.com and he will provide you with details of how to access the beta site.

So what can you look forward to on the new version of Biggerplate? Here's a quick look at some of the key changes and additions:

Bulk Uploads: Upload up to ten mind maps in a matter of seconds, thanks to our new super-speedy bulk uploader!

Auto-Complete: Our site will read your mind maps as you upload them, and extract a title, description (where available) and relevant key words tags. All you need to do is some fine-tuning and click ok!

Improved Copyright Options: Enables you to control how your work is used by others.

Add Map Description Links: A little change but a good one. You can now include links in your map descriptions that will enable others to click through to other websites you suggest.

Mini-Profiles: Promote yourself and your business, and learn how other people are using mind mapping/Biggerplate.

Here's an example of a profile page on the new site. Mmm... profiley...

Integrated Mindmanager Viewer: Enables people to view mind maps in a dynamic viewer without having to download anything! Use this to share maps with people who dont have mindmanager (the fools).

No Mind Map Size Limit: We have removed limitations on the size of map file that can be added to Biggerplate, meaning you can upload maps that are jam-packed with images if you like!

There are a fair few other things waiting for you, but we dont want to ruin all the surprises... Why not get in touch and take part in the beta test to find out for yourself why Biggerplate is about to get much bigger!

Competition Winners - Early Christmas from Biggerplate!

2010-12-21T05:12:00.000-08:00

After a great response to our recent MindManager 9 competition, we are delighted to announce the winners, now that they have all been contacted and sent their prizes (it took a little while longer than expected!!!) The winners were drawn at random from all those people who uploaded a mindmap to Biggerplate which then earned over 10 downloads during the competition period. We would like to thank everyone who submitted maps to the site during this time, and we hope you may all continue to add more maps to the site in the future (especially on the sparkly new version of our site which will be launching in January 2011!)

The winners of our MindManager 9 Super Bundle were:

Dietmar Sokowski for his map “BA Dashboard”.

Dietmar uses mind mapping daily for “just about every creative work I undertake, from business analysis, to project management, teaching, writing, and any kind of problem solving”. To help with this work, Deitmar is already putting the software add-ins to good use, and says “both add-ins are great and wetted my appetite for OPTi-Docs.” We could not agree more; the add-ins developed by great companies like Olympic Ltd really add a huge amount of value and functionality to MindManager, and we thoroughly recommend taking a look at the options available at their website here.

As for Biggerplate, Dietmar comments that “the creation of Biggerplate was a brilliant idea. It helps novices to mind mapping to get an easy start and it inspires ‘old timers’ to new approaches”. We certainly think this is one of the great things about a community like Biggerplate, and the new version of our site will certainly look to build upon the great foundations that have been put in place to help newcomers and old-timers learn more about how others are using mindmaps in different contexts.

Our second winner was Joe Bradley for his map “How to improve the chances of a successful initiative”. After receiving his prize and experimenting with MindManager 9 and the software add-ins, Joe said “MM9 is great, easy to use and helping me everyday at work. I am creating maps specifically to organize different themes in source documents and Power Markers is helping me do that. The Opti-Suite tools link2attachment, topic2vertical and Map2left have added a lot of flexibility to my maps.”

Sounds like Joe’s mapping is about to reach new levels, and we hope he will be sharing some of his new maps and learning on Biggerplate in the future!

Our third software bundle went to Neil Auty. His map “My Work Manager” was the second to be drawn out of the hat. Neil says he is delighted to be “using the most up to date version from home and in front of work. Enjoying doesn't even begin to describe the feeling!”

Neil also has very kind words for Biggerplate and says “I have gained so much from Biggerplate over the years, competition prizes aside, and hope to contribute more to help others enjoy the benefits of mind mapping in the coming years. Thanks to all that make this community interesting and useful.”

We couldn’t have put it better ourselves! Thanks Neil!

Our fourth software winner was Irene Boucaud for her map “NLP Representational Systems”. Irene thinks the design of MindManager 9 is “nice and clear, and with this new version, it is again easier to draw mindmaps. I now enjoy MindManager even more!” Credit must go to the team at Mindjet for once again pushing their software forward, and we look forward to seeing what they can do in the future, they certainly have one happy customer in Irene!

Irene concludes by saying “thank you Biggerplate for giving us the opportunity to share our mind maps. It is a great opportunity for learning and enjoying it. I am happy to have won the newest version of Mindmanager and will work on improving old mindmaps and creating more!”

We look forward to seeing the new and improved maps, and judging by the response to Irene’s maps on the site so far, we are sure they will be popular!

Our fifth and final winner was Sally Murfitt for her map “Project Management Dashboard”. Unfortunately we were unable to speak to Sally to see how she is enjoying her new software, but we reckon she’s probably a pretty happy person! Sally, wherever you may be, we hope you are having a great time with MindManager 9!

Of course, we also had five $50 Amazon vouchers to give away as runner-up prizes, and these have today been sent out to the following people, who get to enjoy a little early Christmas present from Biggerplate. Congratulations to the following people who won our runner-up prizes:

Andrius Zygman for his map ““Personal Selling Guide”

Nicolas Stampf for his map “Solution Focus”

Wojciech Korsak for his map “KPI Sales Management Example”

Keith Messner for his map “IT Annual Work Plan Template”

Joel Larsen for his map “New Client Information Package”

Each of our runners-up has contributed some great mindmaps to Biggerplate outside of the competition, and we thank them all for their continuing support and contributions.

So, that about does it. We got a nice warm feeling by giving some early Christmas presents out, and we now get our heads down and get on with some work to ensure the new version of Biggerplate is ready and raring to go in January!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Garrett Scott at Mindjet and Nigel Goult at Olympic for helping us put together such a great prize for our competition, and look forward to working with both organisations again in the near future for the benefit of the wider mind-mapping community!

Win a MindManager 9 Super Bundle from Biggerplate!

2010-10-11T08:31:00.001-07:00

Biggerplate are giving you the chance to win a fantastic MindManager 9 Super Bundle simply by sharing your mindmaps with the world…

The latest version of MindManager has once more redefined what can be achieved through Mind Mapping software, and with enhanced power performance, a number of new Gantt and presentation features, as well as constantly improving integration with Microsoft Office; MindManager has again set the standard for visual mapping software.

Biggerplate are delighted to be giving you the chance to win a full copy of MindManager 9, and are even more excited to include two fantastic software add-ins that will take your MindManager use and productivity to a whole new level!

We’re adding free Power Markers and OPTi-Suite licences to this prize, not only giving you a fantastic chance to win over £200 worth of software, but also giving you what we believe to be the ultimate mind mapping and productivity bundle!

MindManager 9 + Power Markers + OPTi-Suite = Ultimate Productivity!

How to Enter
We’ve rolled these two great add-ins together with a free MindManager 9 licence, and we are giving you the chance to win it all! We also have 5 x $50 Amazon.com vouchers to give away as runners-up prizes, so there’s even more reason to get involved!

To be entered into the prize draw to win one of these Super Bundles, you simply need to do the following:

Step One: Upload a MindManager map to our library at http://www.biggerplate.com/
Step Two: Get your map downloaded 10 times by other people.

It really is that easy! Simply by sharing your maps on Biggerplate, you will be entered into this prize draw! For more information about this great competition, click here

There's a Map for That: Our Review

2010-08-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

I've received numerous emails and twitter/linkedin/facebook messages from people regarding the creation by Mindjet of their own mindmap library. I’ve been asked how this affects Biggerplate and thought I would pull together the various discussions into one blog post. It's a big post. If you dont feel up to it, just scroll down to the comparison of features - some easy reading for a friday!

Firstly, it's a no-brainer for mindjet to construct a stepping stone to the catalyst/connect product through a map library of their own. If people become more accustomed to sharing maps and engaging with Mindjet "on their turf", they are moving a little closer to the idea of collaborative mapping, and hopefully (from a Mindjet perspective) to the next purchase option (whether that is the latest software release or connect/catalyst). When I first took my idea for a map library to a senior Mindjet figure four years ago, he agreed that this was something that Mindjet needed to do, but in his words were "too sluggish" to get around to doing themselves. This individual (no longer with Mindjet) always maintained that content was king, and on this we very much agreed. Four years later, the Mindjet map gallery comes online and it appears the words of my colleague (and our agreed perception of the value of community content) have been proved right. I may even owe him some money...

We don’t really know how this new site will impact Biggerplate. Will people prefer to upload their maps to Mindjet, or to Biggerplate, or both? Who knows? My guess is it depends what you are looking for in a map library. I am confident that what we have created thus far will stand us in good stead, and what we have planned over the next 6 months will have a significant impact on engagement with our site. Anyone who has read Jim Collins 'Good to Great' will be comforted to know that we are very much aligned with our "Hedgehog Concept", and the next 6-12 months will demonstrate this rather nicely!

As always, I find myself looking at this from a marketing and business strategy perspective, and like the "Trusted Voices" initiative, it strikes me that another sound idea may not reach its full potential due to a lack of joined up thinking, and/or clarity about the purpose of the endeavour. I think of this in two parts, firstly - the execution of the idea (ie. how the thing works), and secondly, how the idea fits into the larger Mindjet strategy (whether the idea is a "strategic idea").

Part One: The Execution
One of my conversations over the last couple of days went something like this:

Friend: "Are you going to write about the feature differences?"
Me: "Maybe. Why?"
Friend: "What if you point out what's missing and they take your ideas?"
Me: "Then they will have a much better site"

My point is not to brag (much). My point is that if Mindjet wanted any pointers, they only need to type a few letters into their browser and have a click around our site; me pointing them out here makes little difference. This is a small point, but links to the larger question of strategic and joined up thinking that I will come to in part 2. In any case, if you see a few of the points below being rectified over the next few weeks, you may draw any number of conclusions. I will conclude that I have helped.

Let's look at the Mindjet offering:

Ratings - A star rating is shown but with no indication of how many times a map has been rated. Is a 5 star map rated by just one person better than a 4 star map rated by 20 people? We do not think so, but how could you tell? Also worth noting; you do not have to have downloaded a map to rate it. You can just login and go on a rating spree!
Views - You can see how many times a map has been viewed, or more accurately, how many times someone has clicked on the page with the map on it. The site registers a page view as a map view, making the numbers appear somewhat grand. Refresh the page: that counts as a view. If 1000 people "view a map" and only 2 download it, does this make the map more interesting/useful than a map with 100 views and 99 downloads?
Uploading - You can upload a map. You also need to create, save, and upload a thumbnail image for the site to display. Get to work; there are things to be done!
Finding maps - Use a search bar and view the results. But what if this map wasn’t quite what you needed, are there some similar maps visible to take a look at as alternatives?

While I might not be considered a neutral reviewer, are these not valid questions to ask? I can certainly say that these are the questions we asked from day one in building Biggerplate. So what did we come up with in comparison:

Ratings – We display a rating out of 5 stars, and how many people have rated it. Simple. And informative. Oh, and you cant rate a map until you’ve downloaded it. We like to make sure people get a rating that reflects their work.
Downloads - We show you how many times a map has actually been downloaded. We think this is a more useful indication of map popularity than how many times a map has been passed over.
Uploading - We create a thumbnail for you. Put your feet up. We've got it covered.
Finding Maps - Use the search bar, use the browse function, click some tags, view particular map categories, see the most popular list, or the other maps an individual has created. Basically, there are many ways to find interesting maps!

There are many more features on Biggerplate, but you probably know it all, you are familiar with the site and already use it. Again, my point is not to show off, that's too easy. Let's not kid ourselves, Mindjet could create an all-singing all-dancing map library in not much time at all, and then Biggerplate might be in real trouble. They have more money, more people, and more reason to do so. But this raises the question - why didn’t they?

Part Two: Strategic Ideas
I said earlier that if Mindjet wanted to replicate features from Biggerplate, they only need to click around the site and take the ideas they want. I also said that with the resources they have at their disposal, they could create a site that probably betters Biggerplate in no time at all. Both of these points again raise the question of why didn’t they?

My suggestion is this; while the map sharing site is a nice marketing tool for Mindjet, they have less interest in creating something that is of genuine use to mindmanager users. While they would like to badge their creation “the youtube of mindmaps” (it is after all, an attention grabbing headline), they do not seem to have put much effort into replicating even half the useful features that are on YouTube (or Biggerplate), so the claim seems somewhat premature. Can you think of any other content sharing site where you cannot “Tag” your content in some way for example? The endeavour therefore comes across (to my eye) as being something that is not fully supported by or integrated into the larger Mindjet strategy (whatever that may be). If it were, you would imagine that Mindjet would be throwing their full weight behind developing something that truly delivers a “wow” factor. They clearly have not (yet), and the result is actually very similar to some of the earliest map libraries around, albeit with a bit more shine. It is not therefore, a strategic idea. It is just an idea. A good one perhaps, but one which does not seem to quite know its place. Having referenced Jim Collins earlier, it seems relevant to ask whether the new map gallery would align with Mindjet’s “Hedgehog Concept” or whether they even have one to begin with?

Like the “Trusted Voices” idea, the map gallery comes across then as a fundamentally sound idea that has been conceived, developed, and executed in relative isolation, albeit with the best intentions. Please note; having a large number of people working on a project does not necessarily prevent it from existing in isolation. If you work in isolation, you risk replicating the efforts of others, and/or ignoring the larger picture. In working with clients we regularly implore people not to “re-invent the wheel” when approaching particular challenges or projects. It is an often-used phrase but a little-used principle. The new map gallery is perhaps a classic case of re-inventing the wheel by working in isolation, away from the total picture (and weighty resources) that might be available if an idea is lined up with the overall business strategy. Unfortunately, the wheel has moved on, and will continue to do so. And the new gallery looks a little rough around the edges in terms of functionality at the moment. Like a prototype wheel perhaps. Or perhaps just like a rock. Will the weight of the rock burden and distract from the more strategically important tasks like promoting and selling the latest release of MM9? Only time will tell.

Kevin Roberts (former CEO Worldwide of Saatchi and Saatchi) said the following in relation to researching your target market – “If you want to understand how a lion hunts, don’t go to the zoo, go to the jungle”. If Mindjet wanted to learn more about (and market to) Mindmanager users who like sharing maps, they could/should have come to the fairly significant jungle that Biggerplate represents. Instead they built their own zoo. I can say (with some sense of retrospective grandeur) that had a Mindjet representative called me to ask whether Biggerplate could help them to create a map library, I would have told them that they could have all the functionality you see on Biggerplate, but branded and personalised to suit their needs. Perhaps most importantly, we would have asked what relevance it had to the overall strategy, and adapted it to suit that too. Think of the time/effort/money saved. And the fact that you would have a starter population of over 11,000 people and over 1000 maps. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the wheel. Look familiar?

That call never came, nor do I expect it to anytime soon. I would (as always) be delighted to work more closely with mindjet or at least discuss these ideas. I do not however expect this to happen. As a “Trusted Voice” you might think Mindjet would have paid attention and perhaps engaged with my previous thoughts on the trusted voice initiative. Nothing as yet. Perhaps my trusted voice is on mute…

The fact remains that with the marketing capabilities, user databases and other resources that Mindjet have at their disposal, they may be able to market this endeavour into a map library with more maps and more active users than Biggerplate. They may even be able to do it by the time I finish this lengthy blog post. This does not concern me. We have a clear plan for Biggerplate, and I am confident we are on the right path to provide something truly useful and interesting that will not easily be replicated.

What concerns me is that many people will once again engage with Mindjet in the hope of some genuine reciprocal engagement and be left somewhat under-whelmed, as they simply become a recipient of yet more marketing messages. Should this occur, it will be because Mindjet have half-heartedly gone about executing an idea that was not fully considered from a strategic perspective. To go through this effort and leave people disappointed would not only be sad for their customers, but also represent yet another missed opportunity for this previously customer-fanatic company.

As always, I welcome your comments and thoughts, and (as always) invite Mindjet to contact, correct, or copy me as they see fit.

Have a great weekend.

New Feature: Visible Categories

2010-08-16T03:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that we have just added a new feature to the map library at Biggerplate.com that allows you to see quickly and easily the map categories that a particular map has been added to. Not only can you see these category labels, but you can also click them (like tags) to view the other maps within that category. This is a really great way to find other maps that are related and/or similar to the one you are looking, and is very useful for finding new maps that you may not have seen otherwise. The category list can be seen just below the map tags when you are looking at any map on the library, and we hope you will find this another useful little addition to the site!

Member Story: Catherine Franz

2010-07-29T01:08:00.001-07:00

Our Member Story for this month features life and business coach Catherine Franz, who has been a prolific contributor of great mindmap content to the library at Biggerplate ever since joining in June 2009.

Catherine has been a long-standing user of mind mapping, and credits her extensive academic achievements to the approach she learned back in school, where she went from being "a poor student to an A student in a few weeks" thanks to some mind mapping techniques she was taught by a friend. This is no doubt a story that many people can relate to, and my own experience at University certainly reflects the same sort of performance shift (due to mind mapping) that Catherine describes.

Over the years Catherine has used mind mapping for almost every possible scenario, including speech preparation, planning radio interviews, training managers and accounting staff, and preparing articles and ideas for her very popular blog at http://abundance.blogs.com/intothelight. She also uses mapping extensively for planning her daily, weekly, monthly tasks and objectives, as well as her progress.

The appearance of decent computer-based mapping was therefore a great moment for Catherine, and she is a self confessed lover of MindManager from day one. Catherine says "MindManager makes mapping much easier. Being able to move an item from one side of the map to the other is so much easier than on paper! Being able to add hyperlinks and jump to those places still excites me. Everything is in one spot. When a client calls, I always have MindManager open on one of my monitors, I open the client dashboard map, and click through to remember the last communication, or status, etc."

Catherine truly places mapping at the forefront of much of her thinking and daily life, and as a result has built up a huge wealth of information in map format that she has been kind enough to share with us at Biggerplate. Over the last year Catherine has shared a great selection of her maps on the map library, and was delighted to have discovered our site last year whilst working with Mindjet ; "I got very excited. I had thousands of MMs at the time and thought some of them could possibly been of some use to others. 'What a great way to share' I thought then and I still do."

Catherine has certainly got into the spirit of the site, and has (to date) uploaded 16 maps and generated over 2000 downloads. Her most popular upload so far has been her "Plan for Developing a Success Mindset" but the range of topics covered by her maps includes advice for aspiring writers (40 Writing Ideas to Pull from Life), social media and online marketing advice (Online Tone of Voice) and general business know-how (Where to get endless referrals). You can view a full list of Catherine's maps at the end of this post, with links included.

When asked about the benefits of Biggerplate, Catherine summed it up better than we ever could; "Biggerplate connects and shares thinking and production. It helps others find answers to problems so they can make better decisions, and save themselves time in preparation". It is thanks to the contributions of people like Catherine that our map library has come to be such a great source of interesting and helpful content, and as always we remain extremely grateful to anyone who takes the time to upload a single map to our site, so we are of course 16 times as grateful to Catherine for her great series of maps! Catherine is a prime example of the open-minded and collaborative mentality that Biggerplate members seem to have, and it is a great source of pride for us to have created a community where so many people like Catherine come to share their great ideas and insights with others. Long may it continue.

We sincerely thank Catherine once again for agreeing to share her maps and her story with us at Biggerplate, and we encourage you to view her maps and visit her fantastic blog as soon as possible. You can also follow Catherine on Twitter (@CatherineFranz)

Mind Maps by Catherine Franz:

- Where to get endless referrals

- 25 Types of Tweet

- 10 Characteristics of Billionaires

- Developing and Maintaining a Success Mindset

- Online Tone of Voice

- Bill Blundell's 6 Points to Organizing a Story

- Values, Roles and Goals

- 40 Writing Ideas to Pull from Life

- Feel the Fear... And do it anyway

- Reading Planner

- Write a Fiction Story or Book

- Organizing your Publicity Articles

- Depression Self-Help Tips

- 2010 Content Planning Calendar

- 7 Ways to Improve Your Grammar

- Four Step Process to SEO your Web Copy

Yours Sincerely... "Trusted Voice"

2010-07-09T02:51:00.000-07:00

The Mindmap library at Biggerplate.com was recently invited by Mindjet to become one their recognised "Trusted Voices". This invitation was one of 14 apparently sent out to those who have demonstrated "dedication to the mapping community" and helped "champion the mapping way of life".

The concept of publicly recognising/identifying respected sources of content is not a new one (in broader marketing terms) and in fact, is actually what the majority of Social Media activity is based upon these days. Strangely though this invitation leaves us feeling rather underwhelmed, as it seems to be lacking a degree of clarity around what the "Trusted Voice" community is supposed to represent, and why/how mindjet intend to engage with them. Perhaps Mindjet have clarity in their minds, but they have not necessarily communicated this in a manner that paticularly enthuses me. For example; why does the Trusted Voice badge (offered as an incentive to join) click through to the generic homepage on the Mindjet website? Surely it could/should direct people to a dedicated page explaining who the Trusted Voices are and why they have been chosen? Surely this is the information people are likely to be seeking when they click the badge? Maybe this is on the way, but I imagine this would have made the prospect a far more appealing one for the 14 people initially invited...

Interestingly, there does not (as yet) appear to have been a single twitter tweet or blog post from Mindjet about any of their newly named trusted voices. And yet mindjet have just gained a more prominent and visible link to their website (through the badge) on several of the most visited mapping-focused sites on the internet, not to mention the associated blog posts and tweets by the individals who have accepted their invitation. The net result seems to be distinctly weighted in Mindjet's favour at this point... Many of these websites are already regularly visited due to the work they do (independently of Mindjet) to promote themselves, but what all of them would surely appreciate is a much greater effort by Mindjet to direct people to them from the minute an individual downloads a trial or purchases a licence? Or even expresses a passing interest in the product...

Since launching the mindmap libary at Biggerplate.com in January 2008 I would estimate that we have had only a couple of blog posts written specifically about us on the Mindjet blog, and the contribution of mindmaps to the library from Mindjet themselves has been minimal over that time, with the notable exception of a couple of great contributions from Michael Deutch. This seems strange, given that our site probably represents one of the (if not the) largest (and most active) communities of Mindmanager users online, with over 10,700 members and growing. If the clients we work with at Biggerplate Consulting had the opportunity to engage with such a captive and targeted audience and were not taking advantage of it, we would probably be screaming at them! For example, I wonder how many of our 10,000+ users are using MM 6 or 7? I would suggest at least a thousand. And, I wonder how many of them might be convinced to purchase an upgrade to MM8 once aware of the new features and benefits? One would imagine a significant number. Yet engagement with this community or Biggerplate, even on the most basic level, is minimal. Again, if our clients were presented with such an opportunity, you can be sure they would be making the most of it! Even if we had to beat them with a stick to do so (please note, Biggerplate Consulting do not beat clients with sticks).

The engagement by Mindjet with the Biggerplate map library is simply an illustration of a larger point, and should not be confused as the primary focus of this post. There are a million examples of companies that fail to pay attention to their current customers whilst blindly pursuing new customers or strategic goals (like trying to make yourself an attractive sales target for a larger organisation). The special offers from banks that are "only available to new customers" is a classic and extreme example of this, and I would not suggest that a company like Mindjet falls into this category, as they do actively engage with current customers in a number of different ways. However, in cases like this there has surely been some sort of strategic and tactical oversight when so much effort is directed blindly outwards to the general public whilst the thought and effort directed at those who are already highly engaged with the product is represented in many ways by the Trusted Voices idea, which (after 2 years of minimal contact or engagement) seems to represent something of a token effort to appease, rather than a strategically considered effort to engage.

If you put any faith in Pareto's Principle (the 80/20 rule) then this might represent a good example; by focusing a little more considered effort on the 20% who are most likely to engage you are more likely to obtain the 80% return that this percentage tend to provide. For Mindjet, this may mean engaging more actively with the Biggerplate.com member community, or more regularly (and noticeably) promoting the 'Trusted Voices' before expecting more from them (remember the net result observed earlier). Perhaps it may even involve paying a little more attention to those ultimate advocates who have supported the Mindjet business through the creation of numerous great add-ins for the mindmanager software. This group seems to represent something of a forgotten community in the brave new world of Mindjet, and this perhaps represents one of the more alarming aspects of how things have evolved in recent years, given the degree to which these individuals have been trusted voices in the mapping community and advocates of Mindjet from the very earliest days, long before today's Trusted Voices like Biggerplate even existed.

If you spend your time marketing to the larger 80%, you are likely to get the 20% return that they tend to provide. Often the tactical effort required to engage with the top 20% is significantly less, and often yields a great deal more. If the figures at Mindjet (or any other business) significantly beat that trend, I would be fascinated to hear, as they will almost certainly represent a very rare breed of business in our experience. I would suggest if this is the case, your biggest strategic concern should be the sustainability of such a business and marketing model in the longer term.

We await with interest the feedback of the other Trusted Voices as to how they benefit from this initiative, and we look forward to seeing how Mindjet develop this idea. At present however, we may keep our badge in reserve. Should the initiative reveal itself to be a more sustained and thoughtful effort than it appears at present, then we would be delighted to take up this invitation if it remains open to us.

I would be delighted to hear comments about any aspect of this, and I hope you may take the time to leave your thoughts here.

Best wishes

Liam

Power Markers V2

2010-06-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

New version of Power Markers for MindManager brings dashboard maps to life!

UK-based MindManager reseller Olympic Limited has announced the release of version 2 of Power Markers for MindManager, an add-in for MindManager 7 and 8 for Windows that makes it easy to keep track of actions and information in maps.

Power Markers dynamically creates lists of shortcuts to topics that have map markers or other conditions. For example, it can show you a list of incomplete action items that are due this week. The lists are shown alongside the map, so that you can see the status of your map at a glance, regardless of how deeply buried the topics are in your map.

This is perfect for “dashboard” maps that are a snapshot of work in progress. You can organise your map by subject areas, and not by status, as the status is visible in separate lists. This makes even the biggest maps simpler to navigate and maintain, greatly enhancing their value and extending their useful lifetime. Maps no longer become gridlocked and stale because they were hard to keep up to date – Power Markers keeps them alive and accurate.

Power Markers is available in two editions; the Standard edition is free to use with up to 15 lists per map, and the Pro edition requires a license key but has no limit on the number of lists you can monitor in your map.

There is a demonstration map on Biggerplate at that can be viewed here

Download and install Power Markers from Olympic’s web site by clicking here

Member Stories: Luciano Passuello

2010-05-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

"I would never have found the maps that I have downloaded if it weren't for Biggerplate"

This month our member Story comes from Luciano Passuello, the ever popular blogger at Litemind.com Luciano has been mapping since the 1990s and has contributed a fantastic (and highly downloaded) series of book summary mindmaps to Biggerplate including "Getting to Yes", "The Now Habit" and "How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci". Luciano says "mind maps are a great way to summarize books - It avoids the problem of reading a whole book and not being able to remember it later" and he has written on this specific topic at Litemind. In addition to creating great book summaries, Luciano also uses mapping to manage complex projects at work, obtain and explore new ideas, and plan and structure content for his blog - "every article I write starts first as a mind map". Litemind.com is all about exploring ways to use our minds efficiently, and Luciano views mapping as a "great way to engage your full brain on ideas - the visual aspect of it makes it engaging, fun and efficient".

Luciano was quick to join Biggerplate when we launched, and has been a great contributor and advocate of the site ever since, believing that the central library of maps has helped bring a collection of great content together in one place - "lots of people create many great maps, but they're all scatterend around the internet. I would never have found the maps that I have downloaded if it weren't for Biggerplate - the diversity of maps is really cool!"

We think so too, and it is because of people like Luciano that the map library has come to represent one of the most comprehensive and varied sources of mindmap content on the internet. We sincerely thank Luciano for his contributions and for taking the time to speak with us. You can follow Luciano on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lucianop, and we thoroughly recommend doing so!

Letters from Liam: April 2010

2010-04-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

Somehow a quarter of the year has passed already and we find ourselves busier than ever here at Biggerplate this April, with some exciting new projects being carefully tweaked before being released to an unsuspecting public in the not-too-distant future!

This month marks the relaunch of our monthly newsletter, which had sadly fallen into a state of disrepair last year, and you can now expect to see a chirpy update from Biggerplate every month with some useful and interesting information for you to click through when you have a spare moment. If you are not already subscribed to our newsletter, you can do so from the Biggerplate Homepage.

A regular feature in the re-energised newsletter will include our "Member Stories" which will look at how Biggerplate members are using mapping, mindmanager, and Biggerplate in their everyday lives, and what ideas and thoughts they have for the future of visual mapping. We were delighted to feature Chance Brown of The Mindmap Blog in our first member story, and extend our sincere thanks to him for agreeing to participate and providing us with such interesting insights.

You will also have the dubious pleasure of reading a monthly "letter" from me in abbreviated form in the monthly newsletter and in full on this blog. I hope to provide you with my own perspective on all that is going on here at Biggerplate and in the wider world and hope that this will provide some interest in addition to the great information already being provided by Biggerplate in this blog and elsewhere.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of my work at the moment is that we are slowly but surely approaching 10,000 members on Biggerplate.com, and the site therefore represents one of the (if not the) biggest communities of mindmappers and mindmanager users online, and this is a real achievement for everyone who has worked to help Biggerplate grow. As we work behind the scenes to prepare the site for its next stage of evolution, we hope you will work very publicly to let other people know about us, and perhaps most importantly, share your map content with others through our map library! A couple of easy ways to help us get closer to that 10,000 member mark is to follow and talk to us on Twitter and also becoming a fan of Biggerplate on Facebook.

Well, with the UK General Election now set for the 6th of May, I suppose I should go and figure out who is going to tax and trouble small businesses the least... Talk about the lesser of two (or three) evils!

Wishing you all a very prosperous April!

Liam Hughes

P.s. As always, feel free to contact or connect with me through Twitter or Linkedin

Member Stories: Chance Brown

2010-03-27T02:35:00.000-07:00

"There is truly a mindmapping revolution going on and Biggerplate helps you see it."

For the first of our Member Stories, we spoke with Chance Brown, author of The Mindmap Blog, and a Learning & Development Specialist with SPX Corporation. Chance works on broad range of technology related learning projects and platforms including designing and developing SharePoint sites, managing online learning vendors, and producing WebEx Virtual Classroom meetings for the global enterprise.

The Mindmap Blog contains a wealth of information on visual mapping tools, resources and ideas, and quickly became a must-read source of information for the mind-mapping community upon launching in the summer of 2008. The blog explores mindmapping in business, education, and personal life, and also highlights approaches to innovation and productivity. For Chance, one of the primary benefits of mindmapping is that it enables you to "see relationships that can not be seen in a linear construct" and hence also helps you to see both the 'big picture' and the component 'small pictures'. Having begun using mindmaps in 2000, Chance was initially using it for taking notes during meetings or to brainstorm an idea. However, as the software started to get better, he expanded his use of mindmapping to include "project management, document management, and strategic thinking".

Chance has contributed a fantastic set of 20 maps to Biggerplate since becoming a member in 2008, and has been a great advocate of the site since joining; "I think Biggerplate is a great place to get mindmaps for ideas on developing your own mindmaps. Additionally it is a great resource for understanding and exploring various business and educational topics". In terms of the maps he downloads from the map library, these tend to be productivity related mindmaps, education mindmaps, and some book review mindmaps.

In discussing how Biggerplate might be improved, Chance suggested regular Twitter updates in relation to new or interesting mindmap content on our site, and this is something we have begun to implement already on a regular basis. In addition, he feels there is a need to "emphasize that Biggerplate is about downloading and uploading mindmaps" and that we must "help people to understand that you contribute to the group and you get from the group. So, each user provides a benefit (upload a map) and gets a benefit (download someone else's map)". We couldn't agree more, and the challenge of encouraging more people to upload as well as download maps is something we are continually looking at here!

Chance is confident and optimistic that Biggerplate can continue to grow and serve as a great reference point for anyone with an interest in mindmapping, and believes that "there is truly a mindmapping revolution going on and Biggerplate helps you see it". We look forward to seeing more great content from Chance and The Mindmap Blog in the future, and thank him for taking the time to tell his story!

If you would like to hear more from Chance, why not follow him on Twitter!

How to Add an RSS Feed from Twitter

2010-03-15T02:50:00.000-07:00

This short video from Biggerplate will show you how to set up an RSS Feed from a Twitter page, enabling you to receive regular updates of Twitter content without even having to sign up to the Twitter website.

Not familiar with RSS? It is a very simple way to receive regular updates of online information that interest you, and this video will talk you through the process of setting up an RSS feed in a matter of minutes. It really is quick and easy, just like this video!

50 Mindmaps From Biggerplate Com

2010-02-15T07:21:00.001-08:00

Here's a little presentation showcasing 50 mind maps from the extensive Biggerplate map gallery. If you are featured here, or if you are feeling kind, tell your friends and share this with the world!!

50 Mindmaps From Biggerplate Com

View more presentations from Biggerplate.

Where to Find Biggerplate?

2010-02-13T02:40:00.001-08:00

There are many social media channels available to us all now, and for some (myself included) it can sometimes get a little bit difficult to remember all the different places you are registered, let alone where anyone else is!
Here is a quick run down of the places you can link up with Biggerplate online if you want to:

Twitter.com/biggerplate - Here we'll keep you updated with any new maps that are added to the site, as well as suggesting any other sites, blogs, friends, tools, images etc that you might find interesting!

Biggerplate Page on Facebook - If Facebook is your choice, then you can find us here too, and (if you think we are worthy) you can become a fan of our page.

Biggerplate on Flickr - We regularly add mindmap images here to try and tempt people over to the site. We dont have many friends on Flickr though, so if you have a Flickr profile and want to help prevent Biggerplate loneliness, please come see us here

Liam on Linkedin - If you want to connect with me on Linkedin, I would be happy to see you there. Please indicate that you are a Biggerplate or Mindmap user though, as this helps me avoid spam connections!

Biggerplate User Group on Linkedin - We have a new group on Linkedin for Biggerplate users, but it is not possible to provide a link directly to it from here. If you go to view my profile, you should be able to do it from there by looking for the groups that I'm part of!

I hope to see you on one or more of these sites soon!

Liam

Top Ten Mind Maps on Biggerplate.com

2009-07-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a mind map to Biggerplate.com which displays links and key info for the top ten most downloaded maps that are featured on Biggerplate.com. It is called "Top Ten Mind Maps on Biggerplate.com"

Particular praise must go out to Luciano Passuello who occupies 3 positions in the top ten, with "Getting to Yes", "The Now Habit" and "One Small Step Can Change Your Life". Luciano has been a regular conributor to Biggerplate from very early on, and we greatly appreciate him sharing his work with the Biggerplate community. You should check out his own site which is full of great information and can be found at http://www.litemind.com/

The always excellent and always appreciated work of Mindjet's Michael Deutch zooms in at number 3 with "SWOT Analysis" and Chance Brown contributes the 5th most downloaded map in the shape of "Steven Covey's Time Management Matrix as a Mind Map".

My good friend Greg Myhill (currently sunning himself in Australia pretending to study) gets in at number four with "Managing Projects", and Henry Bartlam (co-founder of Biggerplate.com) skips in at number 7 with "GTD (Getting Things Done) Mind Map".

The remaining maps come from Justin Radcliffe ("7 Ways to Organise Outlook Email") and Maclek Iwaniuk ("PMBOK 3rd edition - process map") with the number one map coming from Mindjet ("MindManager Personal Organiser Template Mind Map").

I'd like to thank all these people for submitting such great mind maps to Biggerplate, and I hope some others will now take on the challenge of squeezing themselves into the top ten!

Take a look at the Mindjet Blog

2009-06-17T03:54:00.001-07:00

No doubt you have already had a look, but thought I'd flag to anyone who may not have done that Michael Deutch has posted a great article on the Mindjet blog where he highlights the use of MindManager as a tool for planning your strategy, business cases, and your home life.

The article contains analysis of three different maps that utilise the mapping approach fantastically in order to handle different situations. All of the maps discussed are hosted on the Biggerplate library and there is little point in repeating what Michael has said, so I simply advise you to take a look here.

What he has spotted however, which had been missed on my part, was that this is a series of three great maps uploaded to Biggerplate by one member who goes by the name of msdizzy.
Michael has spotted a great contribution to the mapping world, and I must apologise to msdizzy for failing to spot this great series of uploads!

I thoroughly recommend these three maps to anyone who wants to see great examples of how to use mapping in a range of contexts in a highly effective manner. Well done and thank you msdizzy, the Biggerplate community salutes you!

Should Biggerplate go Bigger?

2009-04-30T06:20:00.001-07:00

After several discussions over the last few months, an interesting question has been raised for Biggerplate, and that is whether we make our offering to the world, well, bigger...
We have had a lot of people contacting us since the new year asking if we might open the site up to accept other mapping programs, so that other people (who do not use MindManager) might be able to use Biggerplate to share and exchange mindmaps that they have created using software other than MindManager. While this is previously something that we have considered but resisted, the increase in enquiries and requests of this nature suggests that now might be a good time to do some early research into this matter.
MindManager is certainly the tool of choice at Biggerplate, but this is not to say that other mapping software is of no use or value. We are interested to know whether our members, and the wider world would like us to open the site to accept certain other programs in addition to Mindmanager, and if so; which programs they might want to see added to the site. We have therefore created an amazingly short survey with just 10 questions, which we would love you to visit and fill in to give us your thoughts. The tiny survey can be viewed here: Should Biggerplate go Bigger?
Making any changes like this is a long way away for Biggerplate, but we are nonetheless keen to learn your thoughts about this to provide us with some very early research. So visit our survey and tell us what you think!

Biggerplate Development Options

2009-03-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

We have been spending some time recently considering what the options might be for the next stage of development for Biggerplate.com. With the current financial meltdown restricting budgets, we are looking carefully at what changes and additions might be of most value to Biggerplate and its members!

We decided an interesting way of deciding what might be the most valuable changes would be to throw the map onto Biggerplate and see if any of our members offered opinions and feedback regarding the ideas being discussed.

We have therefore uploaded our map, which is a very simple map that we have been using in our meetings to consider the added value of certain additions for Biggerplate, and for our members. This map originally started as a huge brainstorming session where we gathered ideas about what might be done next, and over time, we have condensed it down to what you see now on the map.
We hope you might consider downloading the map, having a read, then posting your thoughts in the comments box on the site below the map. We would really appreciate any thoughts, ideas, and feedback, as we are keen to ensure that the changes we make really enhance the site experience for you the user. Let us know what you think, and you can help shape the future of Biggerplate.com!

How to Twitter for Business

2009-03-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Once again Michael Deutch is putting his mapping to use for the greater good by providing an excellent map on "How to Twitter for Business" for anyone (like me) who is trying to get to grips with Twitter and its potential uses for individuals and businesses.

The map is packed full of useful advice and tips as to how to get the most out of twitter, including a "10 Best Practices" and "7 Things to Avoid" which should help newcomers to the site avoid making a Twitter faux pas!

Perhaps most useful (and potentially daunting) is the "Terrific Twitter Tools" section of the map, which shows just how much additional functionality can be harnessed through Twitter to create a marketing medium unlike any other.

This map is well worth a look, and if you have a moment, why not leave Michael a comment on Biggerplate!

The Hammer and the Screwdriver

2009-03-04T01:47:00.000-08:00

The Hammer and the Screwdriver are respectively two of the most useful tools that have ever been at the disposal of man. Both are noble tools of great heritage, enabling man to attach stuff to other stuff for years, through the age old combinations of hammer and nail, screwdriver and screw.

While these two implements serve equally useful and profound purposes, it is important to recognise that each tool has its own limitations and in certain circumstances, one cannot do the work of the other. Sometimes the aggression of the hammer must be replaced with the slow methodical operation of the screwdriver, and sometimes the slower methodical approach of the screwdriver must be replaced by the ability to knock the crap out of something.

So why the tool-time chat? Essentially I think computer tools are no different, and a couple of situations over the last couple of weeks have made me realise that sometimes people can be far too attached to mapping or mindmanager to realise that it is not actually the correct tool for the job! No matter how good it is, it cannot (for example) do the calculating and formulating that an excel spreadsheet can do; so dont try and use it for predicting complex cash flow (you know who you are!) Recognise that other tools (word, powerpoint, excel etc) have their uses, and then learn to recognise if and when your preferred tool(s) can be used instead, or in addition.

Fully understanding which tools are most appropriate for which tasks mean you will very quickly be able to decide whether you want to map or chart, to word process or slide create, and in the case of the hammer and screwdriver; to bang... or screw.

Moral of the story: Dont get MindMap Blindness!!!

Ning the Merciless

2009-02-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today saw the launch of a Biggerplate Members community on the popular social network site "Ning".

There is a need to build a greater sense of community and communication amongst the many members of Biggerplate, and I am hoping the Ning Cmmunity might enable this to develop a little further. The community will be linked to the main site very soon, and I encourage anyone who is not already part of Ning to check it out, and of course join the Biggerplate Goup and start talking to some of the other members!

Importantly, the new area hosts a discussion forum which will hopefully enable users to request maps or map templates that they cannot (yet) find in the library. Hopefully, other members will then be able to help with these requests by uploading a map to the library if they have something relevant!

Come get involved here

Liam

Biggerplate Joins the Twittering World

2009-02-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

I have to be honest, I don't really get Twitter. The idea of following a person (or organisations) every update seems to me, a little, well... odd.

Until now, I have therefore resisted the urge to join this growing phenomenon, but then someone made a very valid point to me via email this week that forced me to reconsider my position. The point went something like this:

Friend (who will remain nameless to avoid giving any undue credit should this twitter thing work well):
"You are always saying how people avoid mapping because they dont understand it. And you say that once people try it, and try it properly, they almost always realise how useful it can and could be."

Liam: "It is true"

Friend: "Well the same is true for Twitter. Just because you dont understand it, doesnt mean it isnt very useful and interesting for those who use it."

The point was a valid one, and in agreeing the point was a good one, I simultaneously had to agree that I would sign Biggerplate up to Twitter. Therefore, as of last week, Biggerplate is now on Twitter, and can be found here!

Do not think I am grudgingly taking this up, I firmly believe all people and organisations should all make an effort to keep pace with emerging trends (not that Twitter is really emerging anymore!) Anyone signing up to this sort of sharing platform has a responsibility to engage properly or not at all, and I will therefore be giving Twitter my best shot, and I am fairly confident my friend will be proved right again. How annoying...

Bookmarks Added to Biggerplate.com

2009-01-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

To help our members spread the word about their maps, the maps of others, or our site in general, we have added a range of easy to use bookmarks to every page of Biggerplate.com.

These markers will enable members to quickly and easily bookmark particular maps and pages to sites such as Stumble Upon, Digg, Furl, Facebook, and many more. To see the buttons available, check out this map view page: Ways to Use MindManager.

The addition of these markers will hopefully help us promote Biggerplate to a wider web audience, and I hope all our members will take advantage of this new addition to help us spread the word!

Take some time to Stop & Stare

2009-01-26T09:01:00.001-08:00

This week saw the launch of http://www.stopandstare.com/, a website from a new company in London that offers a range of services for individuals and companies planning or managing change.

I have been working with Stop & Stare for a little while to help them integrate mapping approaches and mindmanager into their work, and the structure of the website itself was planned entirely using MindManager. The guys at Stop & Stare have been involved in a range of businesses over the years, and have a wealth of knowledge between them, and have been putting this knowledge to work over the last year to create an organisation that (they hope) can make people think a great deal more about people instead of profit. The initial focus is on outplacement services for people who have been made redundant, with a view to helping people understand their situational context, personal needs, and behvioural style in order to more effectively identify and take advantage of new job and career opportunities.

The team will be delivering business services of a very high standard, but will be basing their work around a not-for-profit model that will be donating revenue to local, national, and international projects. The focus of the work is on helping people or organisations create alignment between their needs and their work, and much of this is done using a variety of mapping tools and frameworks that enable individuals to see the details and the bigger picture simultaneously.

Stop & Stare offers outplacement services (for individuals or companies involved in redundancy processes), restructuring programmes (which help companies return to "business as usual" after periods of change), and a Peak Performance Programme (which helps companies raise their game).

Check out the website and if you find yourself magnetically drawn to any of the services or quirky pictures, then I suggest you give them a call. The team at Stop & Stare are bringing a fresh approach to what is traditionally a pretty stale service offering (outplacement etc), and with a deeply embedded desire to see the revenue go to good causes, they are hopefully onto something good!

Liam

Congratulations USA!!!

2009-01-21T05:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick one from me...

I felt it would be slightly silly/rude/ignorant to make no mention of yesterdays historic inauguration of Barack Obama in the USA considering how many American members we have at Biggerplate!

One would imagine that only the most cynical and/or jaded individual would fail to sense the significance of the moment, and I for one found myself feeling particularly fortunate to have witnessed such an important event.

I hope America, and the world at large will hold onto the optimism that this event has generated, whilst being patient in the months and years to come. Rome of course, was not built in a day. But having watched Obama take the podium yesterday as President, and considering the words of Martin Luther King all those years ago, it seemed to me to demonstrate that optimism, hard work, and self-belief will prevail over time, and I guess that is an encouraging message for all of us in our respective endeavours.

I say good luck to the man and the country!

(If you feel you need a map element to this post, check out Chance Brown's Obama Map and his Blog Posts)

Using Maps to Enable and Improve Writing

2009-01-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

In the last week or so, I have had a strange (but entirely positive) chain of events that have highlighted how some people are using mapping (and specifically MindManager) to help the process of creative writing. Seeing as I had previously never really considered using mapping in this way, I thought it would be worth talking about it a bit here as it may get a few more people thinking about how to write the novel they have always had inside them!!

I had not previously considered MindManager as a creative writing tool, probably because my experience of the programme started at university (where I used it for analytical essay writing) and then moved into a business and project planning tool (for the creation of Biggerplate). Despite the amount of creative thought gathering, brainstorming, idea development etc I had done with the software, it never really occurred to me that people could be using it to assist them in writing novels.

A short sequence of events over the last week or so has very quickly made me realise I was missing something quite significant!!

First of all, Dermot McCabe emailed us to ask for a Writing Category to be added to the Biggerplate library. Sure that we had already originally included it, I was surprised to discover such a glaring omission from our map categories. We immediately added the category, and Dermot immediately uploaded a number of very interesting maps onto the site that help people with things like Punctuation, Conjunctions, Phrases etc, all of which can be viewed at Biggerplate.com, and also on Dermot's site http://www.turoe.ie/

Shortly after, as I looked at the analytics for our site, I noticed a little spike of traffic coming from a site called Juiced on Writing, where I discovered a number of map examples from Michelle who was writing an article on "How to use MindMapping to Prepare for a Novel". I thoroughly recomend taking a look at this post, if only to learn about the concept of a "Pod Novel", the one you write before your proper novel, which you know you will hide under the bed or in a drawer forever!

Less than a day after this discovery, Tom Evans then kindly uploaded his map (with my favourite map title so far) "Voiding Karma" which he uses to help writers deal with creative blocks. Tom's site The Bookwright is all about unleashing the book inside you, and there are a great many tips to help you along, whether you are trying to get off the blank page, or trying to finish your masterpiece!

All in all, these three people/sites really made me think about what a useful tool mapping must be for those trying to write creatively. Personally, I have never really felt I have a book inside me, I can barely make it through most books (as any of my friends or school teachers will testify) let alone dedicate the time and effort to writing one! But as soon as I started to read these posts/websites, and exploring the maps, it became extremely clear to me how useful maps must be for this process; the gathering of thoughts, the organisation of structure, the gathering of research, and the explorative nature of the map format. All serve to greatly enhance the imaginative process, whilst continuing to hold it all together in a usable structure that can be developed into the final product: Your Epic!

Anyone else writing books with maps?!

Plan 2009 by Mapping

2009-01-14T02:46:00.000-08:00

I discovered someone today who has been using mapping to plan out 2009 and what they want to do/achieve:

Take a look at what Michelle has written here at Juiced On Writing

Using the Setting Smarter Goals and Objectives map from Michael Deutch and then Eric Blues Goals MindMap, (hosted on Biggerplate and also on his own site) Michelle has mapped out what she hopes and plans to achieve in 2009.

I have also used MindManager to plan the year ahead for the last couple of years, and it made me realise that I need to put my year organiser onto Biggerplate to show how I use it. I just need to remove all mentions of world domination etc before I do so, otherwise people might get concerned.

Watch this space though, I will soon throw my 2009 planning map onto the site, and I would encourage you to do the same if you have used maps to plan what you hope and plan to do in 2009!

Liam

New Year, New Blog, Old Gripe...

2009-01-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

So here's the new year, and here's the new blog, and yet I have a compelling urge at the end of this week to return to a familiar gripe: the dismissal of mapping as not being a useful tool for business.

This topic has been covered ad-nauseam in many other areas, so I do not intend to go into a particularly protracted rant here, especially as the majority of people reading this will undoubtedly be mapping people who know only too well the usefulness of the tools! Suffice to say I have been working in recent weeks with a group that has has embraced mapping like the child they never had, and whilst working with this group, I encountered another group that dismissed mapping like a child they wish they'd never had.

I think I wrote once before about the image of "visual mappers" being the nutters in the corner with crayons whilst everyone else gets on with the real work (excel, word, powerpoint, snore...) but surely by now the majority of people have come around to the idea that there is more than one way to think and approach tasks, information and projects?! I was astounded by the approach of one individual whose observation was simply "it all looks pretty but who would actually use this stuff in reality?" A quick diversion to Biggerplate.com and the numerous mapping blogs and forums quickly put that discussion to rest.

And yet the problem does persist; people who do not want to deviate from their known set of work tools rarely want to know or believe that mapping can have a place in business, even when you highlight and demonstrate some of the fantastic new stuff that MindManager 8 can do for example (more on that at a later date).

My solution/suggestion is not massively original and is of course heavily influenced by my personal ambitions with Biggerplate, but it seems to me that if mapping advocates wish to demonstrate the many different ways in which a map-based approach might be utilised in business, we need to be able to showcase the huge variety of contexts in which maps are actually being utilised in business across the world. I believe Biggerplate can obviously play a part here if all "mapping advocates" truly throw their hat into the ring by contributing maps to our site.

My personal ambition for Biggerplate is for the site to host a million MindManager maps, and with the number of users that exist in the world, that is not an un-realistic target, even if it seems a long way off. But it seems that in many cases size does matter, and in this case, so does diversity. A huge library of maps covering all manner of business topics seems to be a good first step in demonstrating the adaptability and usefulness of mapping in business.

With that volume of content, from such a wide range of people and business arenas, only the most neanderthal of business people would fail to take notice of maps in business.

If they are still not impressed, go write the number 1 million on the wall in crayons, that should get their attenion.

All the best

Liam

The New Blog for the New Year

2009-01-03T07:47:00.000-08:00

Hello and happy new year to all Biggerplate members and anyone else who happens to stumble upon this blog!

As you can (hopefully) see, I have finally pulled my finger out and replaced the old and largely redundant blog at Biggerplate.com with this new and rather more useful version from Blogger, which I hope will encourage me to make a more concerted effort to keep things updated from now on!

My hope is that I can use this blog to forge much better links with the many different people that are using Biggerplate everyday. There are certainly a great many of you, and I feel I have been far too slow to utilise blogs and other online tools in order to communicate with you about the various interesting projects that you are all working on, as well as talking with you about what might be done to Biggerplate to make it a more useful tool for you.

Within this blog, I hope to talk about a wide range of topics, broadly focusing on entrepreneurship, interesting projects and people, and of course Biggerplate, MindManager and visual Mapping in general. Through speaking with Biggerplate members, I know there are a number of great ideas and projects being worked on around the world, and I am therefore wary of focusing purely on mapping, as I would like this to be an area where we can discuss what people are working on, regardless of whether it is immediately releted to visual mapping! My theory is that people who are using mapping as a way of working, and particularly those who are using MindManager and Biggerplate, will be forward-thinking people who will almost always have something interesting in the pipeline that may be of interest to others! I hope some of you may take the time to link up with this blog, and if you have something you'd like to tell people about or talk about via this channel, please feel free to get in touch with me.

I would like to wish all Biggerplate members, and anyone else who happens to read this blog a very happy and prosperous 2009!

Liam Hughes
Founder: Biggerplate.com