Talk: Mind mapping

From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.

someone should put a sample Mind Map image in this article. I would, but I am a real amateur at this stuff.

Wish I could help there but I'm new too: anyway, Someone else removed my line in the Pensieve entry about software that attempts to do what a Pensieve does, marking it irrelevant. Fair enough, given no further context, but mind mapping was actually what I was specifically thinking about. Now I'll grant, the software for mind mapping is generally... er... well it's 1990's shareware, that's just been my opinion (I haven't seen the specific software at the link on Mind mapping page). But the concept, using a tool to collect and organize thoughts, is very close to a Pensieve. Are these two topics close enough to link, or if not, why not? - Paul Kroll

"Mind map is copyright of Tony Buzan." This is plain wrong. He either has a patent for something related to mind mapping or trademark rights for the term "mind map". Copyrights only cover actual works, i.e. books he has written, software he has developed etc. Somebody with a clue should correct this.

I'm not sure where that bit about copyright was seen. A word or phrase can't be copyright. What I've seen all over the Buzan-related sites is indeed a claim to registered trademarks - on "Mind Map", "Mind Maps", and "Mind Mapping" - belonging to the "Buzan Organisation". These sites don't necessarily belong to said organisation, so some claims may be wrong (erroneous), but I presume that Buzan and his organisation have trademarked at least one of these terms.

That being the case, this Wikipedia entry would seem inappropriate - a bit like having the information on vacuum cleaners in an entry entitled "Hoover".

In my experience, "mind map" and "concept map" are synonymous. Concept maps have been around for a long time, although I don't know when the descriptive phrases were coined (I would like to find time to research this!). I don't think there is the slightest possibility that the concept of "concept map" or "mind map" were invented by Buzan. However, Buzan may well have invented the concept of destroying the concept by restricting it to hierarchical structures as in all the examples of "Mind Maps" that I've found on the commercial sites ( as well as the freeware "Freemind" which I've trialled and found excellent, provided that you want to draw hierarchical structures and NOT more general concept maps).

Trademark law does not permit registration of words descriptive of the product. For a trademark on "Mind Map" to be valid, it could not therefore refer to what is commonly called a mind map or concept map. It seems to me that Buzan's trademark(s) would be valid precisely because they do not describe mind maps, but that would hinge on legal detail that is beyond my capability or interest.

This trademarked "Mind Mapping" seems to represent simultaneous commercial appropriation and vandalising of a valuable public concept, and should not be promoted in Wikipedia.

I intend working on an entry for "concept map(ping)", but I'm new to Wikipedia and have a lot on my plate, so it may not appear soon. If someone else can do it sooner or better, I'll be very happy!

It would be nice to include links to genuine concept mapping software (not restricted to hierarchical structures).

A few years ago I trialled "TheBrain" http://www.thebrain.com/ and found it excellent. Unfortunately the trial version is time-limited and crippled and the product is associated with a defective business model (high price, low volume, for software that has a potential market of everyone on the planet with access to a computer.)

Google Directory http://directory.google.com/Top/Reference/Knowledge_Management/Knowledge_Creation/Concept_Mapping/Software/

lists a few concept mapping programs. Some seem to be inferior (and even more expensive) compared to TheBrain, and I am not motivated to download the trials. I am downloading IHMC CMap Tools http://cmap.ihmc.us/ to test. This looks VERY promising, being network-enabled (link concept maps across web or other networks). I'm not clear on their business model. The software seems to be fee-free, but I find the license difficult to read and it may be restrictive in ways that I don't understand. It is a large download (25.9) but I am open to the possibility that its extra features will justify this.

Richard Jones 04:29, 7 Mar 2004 (UTC)

External links

I deleted a whole bunch of links which provided no extra information but simply went to commercial mind-mapping software providers. No mercy for wikispam!