The Mysterious Mind Map

And now for something completely different.

Big changes for small businesses in automation and customer relationship management tools are creating some unrecognizable management tools. Chief among them is the raft of mind-mapping software.

Ever doodle out a set of options or a quick business hierarchy chart? That's a basic mind map. Done right, mind maps are terrific business planning and organizational tools.

The name says it all: You create a map -- of words, of ideas, of things that need to get done -- all arranged graphically on a page.

These reified concepts are then connected by any one of several visual clues, including lines and small graphics, to organize them so succinctly that you can grasp the full issue at a glance.

Mind-maps date back to the dark ages. In today's world, they've been automated and placed out on the Web to allow rich collaboration and targeted features.

Mapping Ware

There are literally dozens of mind-mapping software options -- most of them cheap and some of them downright free.

I like what WiseMapping is doing with its free online mind maps. Cayra.net is also a very useful tool if you're looking for free downloadable software.

XMind, $99, offers some powerful features. And if you are looking to take ideas about your business into the third dimension, check out the $49 Topicscape, which turns business processes into three-dimensional models like something you would see in the video game Doom. It's weird but cool.