Web 2.0 - Mindmeister.com

Mindmeister.com is a web-based collaborative mind-mapping tool. Users can sign up for a free (advertisement sponsored) basic account that allows them to create, share, and collaboratively author mind-maps with others.

The user interface is simple and elegant, requiring no instructions. Users start by creating a new mind map. Clicking the “Add” button creates a new node. To edit the title of the node, click inside it and type the desired text. To create a child node, click on an existing node, and then click “Add”. Nodes can be rearranged on the screen by dragging them around with your mouse. I created this simple mind map in just a few minutes after signing up. Free accounts are limited to six maps, however you can export maps into several formats including: RTF, PDF, JPG, PNG, and GIF.



Paid subscriptions are also available which provide additional features, such as the ability to create unlimited maps, export maps in FreeMind and Mindjet Mindmanager formats, exporting maps to blogs, SSL encryption, all advertisement free.

There are other web-based mind-mapping tools out there, such as Gliffy, Bubble.us, Mindomo, Thinkature, and Mind42, but Mindmeister's user interface and the resulting end-product make it stand out from the crowd.