Re: OK a more definite example...

Sandy,

Thanks... Now I see what I've been doing wrong. Yes, I just tend to "brain-storm" and I'm not specific enough.... You actually have some great ideas there too.... :)

Sandy said it was okay for me to post her answer here, so here it is for everyone to learn from.... :)

- Dien

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What many instructions leave out is the inital step of focusing on what you want to mindmap...you are too general...

First you list

Seeds of Wisdom

(I'll use an example..it might not be what you want but this is the idea)

I'd ask myself "What is my problem with Seeds of Wisdom?" what is the problem or issue I want to know more about?

Lets say I come up with several things...

1) how to make it interesting
2) how to attract more people
3) how to make the site more "organic"...

ok my first mind map might just zero in on one of these concepts......

ok...lets use the problem how to make it more organic (definition : make it come alive and keep it growing)

In the middle of the page I'd put the words

organic....(now I've got seeds of wisdom as my focus in my mind )

organic might lead me on a train of thought (which is expressed in branch lines)

organic.....alive.....interactive.....sticky ..... (i might draw lines from alive and put message board... teleconferencing... newsfeeds... ebooks.... icq.... chats

from interactive might be..... interviews... moderated chats...

from interviews....might be ....gordon interviews... other marketers.....

then lines might go out from other marketers.... paul myers....suarez....etc...

as you keep making lines from the different topics the web grows....you keep going and eventually something happens and you know what you want....

notice we are back to square 1 again (smile) You do your mind map on what you want.....what aspect of seeds of wisdom do you want to look at...

let's say you didn't even have a website at all then your initial idea of how to do a mindmap would have been a good one....(putting seed of wisdom in the center and working from there)

let me know if this is making sense....if not I'll try to elaborate some more...I don't have a scanner so I can't draw it....