Jason van Gumster

There are a few web-based mind mapping applications that offer some form of collaboration (I think WiseMapping and perhaps Xmind have this kind of thing).

But let me back up a bit. Are you talking about live collaboration a la Google Docs or collaboration like you see in traditional version control for code projects?

In either case, I can see where working collaboratively on the same mind map makes sense. The difficulty that I've run into personally isn't so much that people use mind maps differently... it's often that I'm the only person on a team who uses mind maps this extensively. Getting over that barrier is probably the first step... and perhaps why you and I evangelize mind maps as much as we do. :)

Understandable, but mind maps are rarely for an audience larger than 1. I've used collaborative mind maps in the past, but even then, it's a small team. Mind maps are (or can be) part of the process. They're fluid, shifting, and malleable, but the branching structure (and the ability to link/show more media than just text) allow for providing the context and reference for the thought or idea. The output of that whole process (a book, a film, a series of illustrations or articles) is all the final audience ever sees.

That said, mind maps aren't for everyone. A lot of people prefer to use structures that are less chaotic and more fixed in their structure. Some folks want *more* chaotic... like scraps of paper littered all over an office wall. As far as I'm concerned, any tool that helps you get stuff out of your mind and in the minds of others is a good tool and the right one to use. For me, that's been mind maps.

What do you use?