computer science

MindMeister

MindMeister is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MindMeister rather than just read about it. In short: MindMeister is an online mind mapping application that allows its users to visualize, share and present their thoughts via the cloud. MindMeister was launched in 2007 by MeisterLabs GmbH, a German software company founded by Michael Hollauf and Till Vollmer.

Key takeaways

MindMeister belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MindMeister to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MindMeister from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MindMeister is an online mind mapping application that allows its users to visualize, share and present their thoughts via the cloud. MindMeister was launched in 2007 by MeisterLabs GmbH, a German software company founded by Michael Hollauf and Till Vollmer. After 17 years in the market, MindMeister has more than 7 million users who created more than a billion ideas to date.

Overview MindMeister provides a way to visualize information in mind maps utilizing user modeling, while also providing tools to facilitate real-time collaboration, coordinate task management and create presentations. MindMeister is based on a freemium model, with a basic account available free of charge, providing limited functionality. The commercial model is built upon 4 different pricing levels with a choice of monthly or yearly subscription-charges. For use in the education sector, 3 different functional levels are available. The aim of MindMeister is to enable individuals to collaborate on a mind map, where everyone can share ideas, comments and plans, as well as vote on ideas in real-time. MindMeister allows users to share and edit mind maps, leave comments and feedback, attach files, images, videos, and link to external, as well as internal sources, via embedded URLs. Mind maps can be shared with colleagues internally or externally via an email invitation to collaborate, or via a hyperlink. Mind maps can also be turned into interactive presentations.

Development The idea behind MindMeister was first devised when the two founders, Michael Hollauf and Till Vollmer, were working together using Writely, which had been recently acquired by Google Docs, and the mind mapping tool MindManager. At the time, MindManager had to be installed locally, which made it hard to share mind maps externally or with anyone who had not installed the software. While using Google Docs and MindManager together, the idea was born to combine the two, forming a collaborative online mind mapping tool which could be easily shared and edited, via the cloud.

Milestones In 2006, MindMeister's first prototypes were created, in which mind maps were developed with 1x1 px DIVs. On February 7, 2007, MindMeister was released as a private beta. In the same year, MindMeister was awarded the Red Herring 100 Europe Award. In 2008, MindMeister 2.0 was released. In this release, the History View was added. In 2009, 5 additional languages were added and, with the advent of the iPhone, MindMeister for iOS was released. In 2010, MindMeister was added to the Google Apps Marketplace and the first native version for iPad was released. In 2011, MindMeister for Android was released and the presentation mode was integrated in the online version. In 2012, MindMeister integrated with Google Drive. In 2013, MindMeister Groups were introduced and MindMeister integrated with Google Hangouts. In 2014, the add-on for Google Docs were released and MindMeister became a Google Cloud Premier Partner. New features released include Comments and Votes, New Map Layouts and Video Support. In 2015, an integration to BiggerPlate was added as well as Geistesblitz for the AppleWatch.

See also List of collaborative software List of concept- and mind-mapping software Mind mapping Visual thinking

References

Further reading Abraham, A.; Hassanien, A.E. (2012). Computational Social Networks: Tools, Perspectives and Applications. Computational Social Networks. Springer London. pp. 430–431. ISBN 978-1-4471-4048-1. Retrieved August 8, 2016. Mauldin, S.K.C.; Kroski, E. (2015). Data Visualizations and Infographics. Library Technology Essentials. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4422-4388-0. Retrieved August 8, 2016. Ricci, F.; Bontcheva, K.; Conlan, O.; Lawless, S. (2015). User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization: 23rd International Conference, UMAP 2015, Dublin, Ireland, June 29 -- July 3, 2015. Proceedings. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer International Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-3-319-20267-9. Retrieved August 8, 2016. "MindMeister". Maximum PC. October 2007. Wolber, Andy (June 19, 2014). "Pro tip: Create mind maps with MindMeister". TechRepublic. Retrieved August 18, 2016. Pan, Joann (December 20, 2012). "Conduct Your Most Epic Brainstorm Sessions on MindMeister". Mashable. Retrieved August 18, 2016. Wauters, Robin (January 26, 2009). "Another iPhone App Sold: MindMaker Goes To MindMeister". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 18, 2016. Eaton, Kit (23 April 2015). "Apps to Kindle the Imagination". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 March 2018.

External links Official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MindMeister

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MindMeister claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MindMeister before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MindMeister ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MindMeister

In research: MindMeister appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MindMeister in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MindMeister is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Argument mapping, Collaborative software, Concept mapping software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MindMeister outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MindMeister in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MindMeister means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MindMeister out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MindMeister in simple terms?

Why does MindMeister matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MindMeister?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MindMeister.