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Brainstorming Online

Posted by Cathryn in : Technology , trackback

I’ve used interactive, online tools like Google Spreadsheets often, but I’m about to start a little exercise with a colleague and we’re looking for an online brainstorming / mindmapping tool.
I’m looking for something which :

  • is free
  • allows multiple people to access the same map at the same time across the internet
  • allows notes, sketches and links (I like to scribble as well as mindmap tidily)
  • can be rendered into a general format, such as a PDF, for printing and using elsewhere
  • simple and stable

We’ve got a list of possibles, and I’m taking a quick look to see which are worth trying.Bubbl.us is the only one I’ve used before, and it was still in a very early state.

  • Thinkature Ticks the boxes, particularly the free form drawing and pictures, and has chat facilities, but seems very slow.
  • Mindmeister 30 day free trail, after which you can sign up for the Premium edition for $4 per month. Integrates with Skype. easy to use, and can export to pdf and various other tools
  • Gliffy more of a general diagramming tool, and more fuss to bring people in to collaborate. Ads in the diagrams on the free edition
  • Kayuda Looks likely, but doesn’t render well on my screen
  • Bubbl.us diagramming isn’t conventional mind-mapping, just joined bubbles. no way to put anything else into the diagram. Free, and can export to html, xml or image formats
  • Mindomo Free version is limited in number of maps, but only $6 per month to upgrade. Very smooth mapping, and rich diagrams can be created. No brainstorming mode.

For the moment, MindMeister looks to be the best, so I think we’ll try that. If it doesn’t work, there are a few more to look at.

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Comments»

1. Milla - August 3, 2007

I tried all of these and I found comapping (www.comapping.com) to be the best when it came to collaboration with multiple users. I would give that a try as well for your team.

2. Julia - August 5, 2007

Try http://www.brainreactions.net.
It’s a social network for brainstorming. You can do free public brainstorms or buy private brainstorming rooms. It works the best when all brainstormers are generating ideas at the same time–it really gets the momentum going

3. Debi K - November 28, 2007

Thanks for the mention of Gliffy. We are very appreciative. If you have any suggestions and/or feedback through your use, please drop us a line at our newly revamped website! Stay tuned for upgrades coming shortly including real-time-collaboration. Thanks,
debik at gliffy dot com