MindManager mind mapping software lovers, take note. Mindjet has just announced an Image Library add-in for versions 7 and 8 of MindManager.

The library will have over 300 images in five main categories: Buttons, Electronics, Objects, People and Symbols:

As a hardcore user of mind mapping software to plan and manage all of my work and personal tasks, as well as to solve problems, I’m happy to hear about this. Images add a richness and visual cues to mind maps, making them easier to absorb, understand and remember.

The image library add-in for MindManager sells for US$29 and is currently available (from the Mindjet online store) for the English, German, and French MS-Windows desktop versions. A Japanese will be available later, though no mention is made of the Mac version of MindManager.

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Just in the past week I came across a few articles variously stating that the average user has about 100-120 Facebook friends. That makes me above average then, though I actually know many thousands of people. They just don’t happen to be on Facebook, or their name is a bit too common to figure out which of several people they might be. But knowing at least 5 people who have over 1,000 FB friends each, it got me to wondering, “are they really all your friends?”. Are they friends, acquaintances, something else?

A little bit of contemplation made me realize that there are actually several different types of Facebook friends. Here are a few of the types I have:

1. Friends and acquaintances from real life.
2. People I’ve worked with online or by phone.
3. People I’ve communicated with by phone or email.
4. People I’ve been recommended to and will likely meet soon.
5. Real-life friends of real-life friends.
6. People who are my “friends” or “fans/ followers” on other social networks.

Maybe I’m splitting hairs with some of these types, but at least in my small Facebook network, I’ve covered all the categories of friends. How is your Facebook network doing, and what categories do your friends fall into?

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Ever get that feeling that you’ll never have enough RAM on your computer? This is a persistent feeling I get on Windows-based computers, but now that I’m using a Mac more regularly, the feeling’s there too.

A few years ago I got a high-end Acer laptop with dual processor but only 512Mb of RAM. Already too slow. Then I had a desktop with 512Mb, and even after adding another 512Mb RAM, it wasn’t enough. That was followed by a 2Gb desktop, and it seemed that applications which previously ran fine in 1Gb of RAM suddenly decided to take advantage of as much of the extra RAM as possible. The same’s happened now on my 3Gb RAM laptop, though this one’s running Windows Vista. (That is, maybe Vista just needs more RAM for everything.)

Are Windows applications just not efficient? Don’t developers know how to make apps lean and mean? Or is Windows hogging RAM just because it can?

Apple fans might be inclined to say Mac OS X performs better, and I’d actually agree. While I do get a big of “lag” when using OS X, I find that I can have numerous apps running with just 512Mb of RAM. Sure, more memory is always better, but it doesn’t seem to matter for Windows OSes.

Of course, the problem might just be that the 3 or 4 applications that I run every single day on my Win XP and Vista laptops are simply inefficient. What it boils down to, especially when my laptop crashes regularly, is reduced productivity. Maybe other people don’t have the same problems. Thoughts? Have you found that your computer never seems to have enough memory?

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In the greater scheme of web tools, something is only a waste of time if you are not getting any closer to achieving what you want. The fact is, that’s probably true for “most” users of Twitter. But like any tool, having a stuiable plan and using it consistently really does make the difference between wasting your time or getting a return on your efforts.

So you have to ask yourself a few questions:

1. Why I do want to microblog? What are my expectations, in terms of a return on investment?
2. Do I have plan for using Twitter?
3. Is my plan feasible, or am I trying to accomplish too much too soon?
4. Do I really believe Twitter will help me/ my business/ organization?
5. Do I have the discipline to persist, even when the ROI (Return on Investment) appears miniscule?
6. Am I sharing information that anyone actually wants?
7. Am I building my network?
8. Do I have the support of workmates, bosses and/or colleagues?

Most of the above questions actually apply to any type of social media and their use in online marketing. All of them are important to consider not only before you start Twittering but also every so often (weeky, monthly, quarterly) to see how your plan is being fulfilled – or not.

The problem with Twitter is that it looks so darn easy to use, but it takes a lot more persistent, consistent effort to use effectively.

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If you’ve spent any time on the Internet lately, you’ve probably heard of Twitter. You might even be considering using this microblogging service to promote your business or consulting/ freleancing practice. Simple question: should you tweet for your business?

The answer to that question is less simple. Just as not every business needs a website, even in this decade, I don’t feel that every business needs to twitter. At least not yet anyway. Unless your business is based online. Then it’s a necessity in your SMM (Social Media Marketing) toolkit, unless you have more effective means of consistently promoting your business and website.

If you’re not sure what to do, check out David Berkowitz article, Ten Ways to Decide if Your Business Should Twitter, over at Social Media Insider. Also consider reading Geekpreneur’s free ebook, A Geek’s Guide to Promoting Yourself and Your Online Business in 140 Characters or Less with Twitter.

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Not familiar with microblogging? Either you haven’t spent much time on the Internet in the last two years, or you don’t watch Oprah’s talk show regularly. (Twitter.com was recently showcased, causing a backlash from some early adopters who resented the seeming commercialization – or other possible reasons.)

That aside, microblogging is a means of communicating tidbits of information in much the same way you might text message someone with your cell phone. In fact, Twitter – the current king of microblogging services – is modelled on the same principle. With true microblogging services, you have up to 140 characters per message to say whatever you want, share links, report a tidbit of news.

Should You Microblog?
Not everyone is going to find value in microblogging. But the small percentage of users who do “get” its value for promoting their business or themselves – be they entrepreneurs or celebrities.

Reports around the blogosphere are that microblogging sites have a high “bounce” rate. That is, people sign up but often don’t use their account, or abandon it after a few months, never to return. My own experience is ignoring my accounts – I use a few services – for several months, exploring a bit, ignoring, then diving in full throttle. Or at least half-throttle. The fact is, if you’re going to use a microblogging service such as Twitter to promote yourself, the value increases with the size of your network. If no one is following your microblogging stream of updates, then you are not going to get much ROI (Return on Investment) for your efforts.

As a result, since new users have to learn how to build their network, it wouldn’t be surprising if the widespread of adoption of microblogging for promoting online (or offline) projects/ causes/ businesses/ organizations takes a few years. It took a long time for websites to be a “necessity” for most businesses, too.

Microblogging Platform Choices
Twitter, Facebook (status updates), Plurk, and Identi.ca are just a few of the microblogging options available. (The Pownce microblogging platform has been sold and the team absorbed into Six Apart.)

In terms of true microblogging platform, all indications are that Twitter is the most popular. However, with reports that maybe 10% of tweeters make up 80-90% of the content on Twitter, it seems that the service is not so widespread in use. Facebook, it could be argued, has wider penetration as a microblogging tool. However, since it allows for more than 140 characters in status messages, it’s not a true microblogging tool.

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Facebook, one of the world’s most popular online social networks, is openly advertising new vanity URLs for users, come Fri Jun 12th. If you’ve ever tried to post your existing Facebook URL to a business card or exchange it verbally with someone, you know what a pain it is to do so. Vanity URLs will make passing on your Facebook link simpler.

However, if you’re a business, things may not be so simple. Facebook has been promoting Pages instead of account profiles for businesses. But it seems that to prevent squatting of usernames once vanity URLs are available, Facebook has put a few limitations on qualify. Mashable discusses it more in detail, but the gist is that if you have only a Facebook Page (which many but not all businesses do), you can only have a new username/ vanity URL if the Page was created by May 31/ 2009 AND has at least 1,000 fans as of that date as well. As the Mashable article says, that’s not an easy task for many small businesses.

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Seriously? A 8″ screen? Or at best, 10 inches? Netbooks are being promoted as if they’re the best thing since sliced bread? What the heck is going on? Didn’t we just spend the last decade wishing laptops had larger screens? My lastest model is a high-res 17″ laptop equivalent to a 24″ monitor. And that’s not even enough. I added a second monitor of 23″. Why would I want to spend $299-599 on a netbook when I can get a good 16″ laptop for around that price range? Thoughts? Are you considering getting a netbook computer? Why? How do you plan to use it?

The mobile communications market is extremely competitive. Some cellular service providers are giving away netbooks on new 2-year data plans – or at least reducing the price significantly. But with the latest Apple iPhone 3G priced at an affordable $99 (with AT&T data plan), it’s hard to say which will win out: netbook or high-end smartphone.

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So, you’re sold on the idea of using a social network for an online project that you’re involved in.

Question: would you rather use Facebook Connect to build a niche social network, knowing you’re giving up control of member information, or would you prefer to build a network from the ground up, thereby insuring that you have control over all member information?

Of course, the first option is less effort, but you pay the cost of not having access to full member info.

The second option requires effort and promotion, but does not necessarily preclude using Facebook tools/ plugins. If you use BuddyPress (which requires WPMU – WordPress Multi-user) to build your social network, then you do have control over customizations. That means you can plug in FB tools, if available, or write your own FB integration code.

So it should be easy to see that what you choose depends on your abilities or budget. If you don’t know how to build your social network on the BuddyPress platform, with customizations, or if you don’t have the budget to hire someone to do that for you, then you’re left using Facebook Connect, or maybe Ning or one of the other social networking platforms.

Personally, I like have control of data, when it comes to my own projects, and fortunately I can customize existing Open Source code if I want to, though I never seem to have the time. So the dilemma continues.

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After successfully upgrading WordPress from 1.5.2 to 2.7.1 on one of my other sites yesterday, I figured it’d be fine to upgrade this site from 2.0.x to 2.7.1. So far, it looks like things worked out fine, but if you see any problems, please feel free to drop a comment.

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Paul at Mind Map Inspiration put forth the bold notion that mind mapping holds the key to solving many of the world’s problems. Well I have to agree wholeheartedly. Complex problems are not easy to solve in our minds. Mind mapping allows us to take two points of view of a problem: high-level (bird’s eye) and low-level (detailed).

I’ve been using mind mapping for a very long time, and used it successfully for many uses in my career and personal life. Since adding the use of mind mapping software to my paper maps, it’s been much easier for me to solve more complex problems than on just paper. (In fact, I’m working on an ebook or two about complex problem solving.)

In fact, mind mapping is now part of my daily work routine. As someone who works online (i.e., a web worker and aspiring Digital Nomad), it’s very very easy for me to surf websites and get sidetracked from work. Using a “personal dashboard” mind map helps keep me on track. Using audible timers per task helps remind me that I’ve alloted only so much time to a project.

Mind maps are not just for solving complex math or technical problems. I’ve figured out career paths, solved personal problems between myself and another person and much more. Mind maps are merely a tool, but because of the visual approach, it’s far easier to get a whole picture about something, then narrow down to details when necessary.

If you’re looking to get started with mind mapping, there are a lot of resources available. Don’t forget to check back here as I’m hoping to post more about problem solving with mind maps, as it applies to web working, freelancing, learning, creativity and productivity.

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image: Ed Yourdon. (CC license)

IBM is the latest tech giant to announce job layoffs, following on the news that Microsoft and Intel were doing layoffs. The total between them amount to about 21K jobs lost this past week alone. (Though IBM’s number was rumored to be three times as much.)

Is working for yourself looking any better? I’m wondering if we’re going to become a nation of people working at home, glued/ addicted to our computer screens. Or will we trend towards combining work and travel like the growing legion of Digital Nomads/ Digital Bedouins, working from wherever an Internet connection can be found?

If you could combine work and travel, would you? How long would you/ could you do it for, and where would you go? (Side note: Did you know that in some countries, you can use an NFS-enabled cell phone to make all sorts of payments? The technology is not in widespread use in N. America, but there are a few ongoing trials in Atlanta, NYC, and San Fran/ Bay Area.)

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Have you been seeing odd messages or having weird conversations with your “friends” on social media sites? Aside from the possibility that your friend is a freak, it’s possible that their account has been hacked, possibly by Nigerian scammers asking for money.

So the next time some “friend” asks for money online, double check with them through other means (email, cell phone, instant msg, etc.) that they are who they say. Or be careless and get taken for a ride. And while you’re being cautious, watch this hilarious, slightly potty-mouthed video and remember it next time someone you barely know wants to add you on Facebook.

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Despite the historic day in the USA today (i.e., the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President), Twitter managed to withstand the increased tweets. The Twitter blog claims that even before noon (PST zone?), there were 5x normal tweets-per-second. Despite this volume, Twitter managed to stay up. I noticed only a brief time when Joe Biden and Barack Obama were being sworn in where my Twitter tweets (entered from a Facebook plugin) took some time to show up on Facebook.

This performance is very good news considering that Twitter just passed social voting site Digg in market share.

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