This will be my last broadcast – at least for a while. Due to some health issues I need to close down my business. I’m not sure if it is temporary or not; but hopefully I’ll be back into the swing of things in a few months. In either case, I want to THANK YOU for all of you who have subscribed to me e-zine, especially those of you who have been with me since the beginning! You will all be missed.
What is Mindomo?
Mindomo is an online mind mapping software that you use directly with in your browser. You can create, view and share your mind maps. There is a free basic version, premium version and a team version. The premium version is only $6 per month (I have been given a free 3 month premium membership in exchange for this review) and the team version in $9 per month.
Mindomo boasts the following features:
- Ability to embed video and audio
- Ability to add pictures
- Ability to work offline (desktop version)
- Ability to collaborate quickly and easily with others
- Multi-level numbering (So others can easily follow your mind map sequence)
- Ability to comment and vote
- Spell checker
- Ability to import contacts
- Ability to export mind maps
- Presentation mode so you can easily convert your mind maps into presentations
My experience:
When you log in to Mindomo you will find a simple, clean interface. On the left is a large button inviting you to create a new mind map. And when you click on that button a screen pops up prompting you to name your map and click “new”.
For the purpose of this review, I mapped out each feature listed above and tried each one out individually. What I liked about the dashboard is that everything had a purpose and it was laid out well. I used the default mind map, but there are many different types of mind maps to choose from and ways to customize it. You can even customize each topic and subtopic separately.
I found this software very easy to use and intuitive. I was able to add video, images and links with only a couple of clicks. The spell checker worked well enough and I was able to comment and/or vote with a simple click. Importing contacts and exporting the mind map were straight-forward. Sharing the mind map was very easy to do as well. I didn’t get the chance yet to collaborate with others or use the program offline, but I suspect they will be easy enough to do as well. I also had no problem finding and using the presentation mode. Another thing I found handy was the ability to add notes and tasks to a topic or subtopic.
My only real problem was doing the multi-level numbering. I couldn’t figure out out to do it nor could I find out how to do it in the help section. I still can’t figure it out, so if you discover how the multi-leveling works, let me know!
Speaking of the help section, there are a lot of pictorial tutorials to show you how to work with the program; however, I think it could be expanded to cover more specific topics (such as how to use multi-level numbering!). The FAQ and forum could use some expanding as well. The FAQ is limited to confirmation and log in troubles; but, hopefully in the future they will expand it to include other relevant information. Same goes for the forum: It is limited to general discussions, suggestions and bug notifications. It would be good if it could be expanded to include Mindomo users helping each other to get the most out of the program, finding solutions to problems, etc.
Having said that, I would absolutely recommend Mindomo. I think it’s a simple yet effective mind mapping tool that would be useful to everyone for business and personal use.
