Mindjet MindManager User Reviews
Excellent
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"The best all-purpose organizational tool."
Version: Mindjet MindManager 6
Pros
Mindjet's MindManager is easy to learn, versatile and adaptive, smoothly integrates, maintains & updates information from all my MS Office products. It is easy to share information, and that information is easily understood by everyone in a visual and intuitive manner. MindManager's brainstorming capability is unmatched; it's integration with Outlook is perfect for project management on any scale. I originally purchased MindManager 2002 for Tablet PC - and used it to write technical papers and presentations at the American Chemical Society Conferences (among others). Now I've used it for Lecturing, writing grants, administrative tasks, planning research - and the project management of that research.
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"Wonderful tool for Brainstorming and Monitoring Projects"
Version: Mindjet MindManager 6
Pros
I really liked the software and have been regularly using it (MM5 pro) for the past few months. There are some places where we wish it could have been more intuitive but then that is what version upgrades are for :-). As a project leader for many projects I keep track of various components using the mindmap (by screeing with LCD proj.) and everyone knows what their responsibility is, what they are supposed to deliver, and when. All in all a great software.
Cons
Wish it was more intuitive (even though it is the most intuitive mind mapping software available).
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"Excellent for project mgmt, design, collaboration, brainstorming, etc"
Version: Mindjet MindManager 5.2.344
Pros
I've been using MM for 4 years now and still use it on a daily basis. It has a LOT more power than just drawing pretty pictures, because you can filter your maps by dozens of ways and share them with others.
* Easy to get started, but lots of power to use down the road.
* Large customer base that the company listens to for enhancements.
* Documentation is very good and there are lots of information resources.
* Strong ability to export to PowerPoint, Word and/or websites.
* Very efficient to use, features are very accessible.
* Your MindMaps can look very professional, unlike some other mapping software out there. And you can also design them to be playful if you want. Includes good library of graphics.
Cons
They could release new major versions more often than once every couple years, but then you'd have to pay to upgrade.
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"Must Buy!"
Version: Mindjet MindManager 5.2.344
Pros
I love this program. I use it for both work and home. Organizing projects, keeping track of websites, RSS feeds, arranging rough drafts or presentations, and I still haven't found all it's uses.
I originally started using mind mapping software when I purchased The Brain, and was a religious user for about a year and a half. Then I heard through the grapvine about this software, and downloaded the trial version.
It's clean interface, Microsoft Office export and import capabilities, flexibility and possiblity for a main concept or theme (The Brain doesn't have a starting point) won me over in about a week.
Since then I've been using it more and more, taking meeting notes & minutes, orgainizing and tracking projects, presenting materials and lots more.
The ability to set markers and format each topic makes it very visibly intuitive, and gets pertinant information over very quickly. Topics can be dragged and dropped under any other topics, or cut and pasted, or just used to create a new map. This flexibility means your thoughts or processes aren't trapped after being transferred to a medium. This leaves you free to make changes as you learn more about how you organize, or when projects or situations change.
Cons
I've noticed if you are updating RSS feeds and it cannot contact the site, it sits frozen rather then giving you the option to cancel (even thought the button is available). That, and the notes are not html, and fonts, font sizes and formatting in notes aren't as easily changed as they are in say, Word.
As far as the actual program, it's limits only seem to be the users creativity.
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"Changed my life ..."
Version: Mindjet MindManager 5.2.344
Pros
Okay ... maybe not my WHOLE life, but certainly my work life. I downloaded the trial on a Monday night (good for 21 days) and called them up to pay the $349 on Tuesday morning. Easy to learn, easy to use, enough power to do just what I need (can handle live brainstorming with rooms full of users, can handle mapping out approach for doing projects, can handle entry of project management fields enough to upload a fully-functioning project plan to MS Project) and it's FUN to use! In the first 2 weeks I had it (I'm a CIO in a process-light start-up) I used it to map out a Change Management, Project Management, and several other processes, took a room full of attorneys through a requirements definition, and used it to walk the executive team through graphical representations of their jobs in support of creating job definitions. About 6 of the attorneys came up afterward and said "what is this tool? I have to have it". Some wanted to do legal case analyses, others wanted to map out processes, and one just said it was "damned cool". My favorite aspect - that I can worry about content and relationships, and the tool does the formatting for me. As a former user (and fan) of Visio, this is like a gift from heaven! What more can I say??
Cons
There is not too much I don't like. Oh -here's one thing. I prefer on the styles in template library, and there does not appear to be a place to change preferences to use that style on all new maps. So I have to manually change on the new maps I create. Pretty light-weight stuff, given what it can do.
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"MindManager X5 Pro is an excellent visual thinking & communication tool"
Version: Mindjet MindManager 5.2.344
Pros
Mindmanager X5 Pro is a software program used to create computerized business maps (also known as mindmaps maps(R). At my company, a Fortune 500 utility with over 1200 active users, the program is used everyday to make maps for such activities as planning, presentations, meeting notes, training, web portal design, project management, facilitation of brainstorming sessions, emergency incident management, knowledge transfer, study guides, organization charts, and resumes. The program is very intuitive, so it is easy to learn without any formal training. Many people find MindManager fun to use as it allows you add your own clip art, colors, and other graphics to easily customize maps. The program includes the capability to export maps to Powerpoint, Word, Outlook, and Adobe so that the maps may be e-mailed and easily viewed by others without the need to buy the program.
I find the most powerful program feature is on-line brainstorming with groups ranging from 5 to over 100 people at a time. This is done by setting up an LCD computer projector and projecting an large image of a business map from my laptop on a wall/screen. I use the software to facilitate the creation of a group map that is printed out as a hand-out at the conclusion of the meeting.
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