AIIP-L discussion list – AIIP Connections Blog

Mind-mapping software recommendations from AIIP members

AIIP-L, AIIP’s active, private discussion list, is one of AIIP’s premier benefits and ways of connecting member-to-member. In this forum, we share tips for working on and in our businesses, including marketing, product development, technology, and much more. Following is a summary of one of the hot topics recently discussed on AIIP-L.

Topics of conversation on the AIIP email discussion list often focus on finding the best technology to meet our needs as information professionals. Recently, an AIIP member asked the group about mind-mapping software recommendations.

Several members responded with their favorite paid and free software solutions. Others favored manual “Luddite” solutions. Here are just some of the suggestions from each group:

(Note that all prices are in USD)

The first paid tech solution offered was Scapple, “a virtual sheet of paper that lets you make notes anywhere and connect them using lines or arrows.” Scapple is available for Mac only and currently priced at $18 for the product download.

A second solution that many recommended was MindMeister. “MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool that lets you capture, develop, and share ideas visually.” Notably, it is web-based rather than a product download. A limited basic plan is free, while a more robust subscription for individuals will cost $4.99 per month. Other levels of access for teams cost incrementally more.

Additionally, some suggested MURAL for online collaborative mind mapping. “MURAL is a digital workspace for visual collaboration…People benefit from MURAL’s speed and ease of use in creating diagrams, which are popular in design thinking and agile methodologies, as well as tools to facilitate more impactful meetings and workshops.” Independent info pros will most likely benefit from the Starter plan at $144/year. MURAL offers a free trial period before committing to a premium plan.

Also recommended was Miro software, which includes mind mapping capabilities. Miro is billed as an “online collaborative whiteboard platform to bring teams together, anytime, anywhere.” A free subscription to Miro allows three free boards, and packages range from $8-16 per month, billed annually.

Another suggestion was ConceptDraw. The respondent offered, “it is an integrated suite of three products: mind mapping, project management, and visualization tool (for dashboards, drawings, sketching, infographics, workflows, etc.). Nice feature: the integration of the three products let you turn a mind map into a project. Online collaboration is also provided.” Prices range from $199 per license for just the mind-mapping module to $299 for the full suite.

At least three votes were cast for the “Luddite” system: “a giant piece of paper on my dining room table, torn from the tail end of a roll of newsprint that I scored at least 10 years ago.” Giant sticky notes were also recommended as a tool for analog mind mapping. One contributor noted that “physically writing ideas down, drawing arrows, and scribbling notes all help in the creative process.” The contributor said that she feels her mental processes expand when working with physical paper and markers, rather than using digital tools and staring at computer screens. Another AIIP member agreed: “My best mind mapping is done in a cafe with paper and pencil.” Finally, a third respondent countered, “Left to my own devices, sticky notes and sharpies is where I start. I’m looking at a wall full of them right now.”

As you can see, we have lots options for mind mapping software, all ranging in price and functionality – both digital and analog. Most users would agree that it depends on personal preference and seeing what works for other AIIP members.

Carrie Hunsucker helps executives make their business decisions faster and more efficiently. She and her associates provide research and decision support to start-ups, non-profits, and CEOs of growing businesses.

Hot topic: International Business Background Investigations

by Carrie Hunsucker

For information professionals seeking to conduct background investigations on individuals and companies outside of the U.S., there is a lack of informational sources readily available to assist with such queries. This is not the case for individuals who live in the U.S., as there are several available resources for those types of cases. Researchers working outside the U.S. must employ other avenues of investigation in order to deliver results for their clients. AIIP-L participants were delighted to offer alternate routes of research to the initial query.

First, investigator and author Cynthia Hetherington weighed in with helpful suggestions. While her book Background Business Investigations was an initial resource for researchers, it didn’t offer much practical help for searching outside the U.S. It’s since been superseded by other avenues of investigation, as the author acknowledges the book is dated. However, she offered a suggestion of another one of her books, Online Due Diligence Investigations, but she also mentions it’s not very helpful for non-U.S. based searching. She and other AIIP members are working on a wiki (The Global Guide to Due Diligence) for global due diligence research, but it isn’t available quite yet. In the short term, she recommended contacting a local AIIP member in the country where the research needed to happen, and perhaps hiring a local investigation service to complete the research. She also recommended business directories and IP (Intellectual Property) offices as a good starting point for research, as well as business sets from local vendors that might contain helpful data.

The one caution Cynthia conveyed, and one that is important enough to merit its own paragraph, is to be careful about the export of data about citizens out of their home countries. Every country has its own set of privacy laws for individuals, and many of them are much more restrictive than the U.S. (“think GDPR on steroids” was her exact phrase). So always be sure that any individuals in those countries who are hired for local work are operating with licenses, and are able to legally export data to satisfy the queries as posed.

Other AIIP members recommended venues such as the OpenCorporates website for obtaining basic information about non-U.S. companies and their officers. Getting as much biographical information as possible to start with was a helpful tip, as common names can trip up searching, but having specifics can winnow down large data sets to more manageable numbers. Searching professional organizations was another idea, as professions such as engineers and doctors often have biographical information on members in their directories.

Another AIIP member also suggested hiring a local firm or reaching out the AIIP members in that country, and a follow-up message by the original poster indicated that this was the route they were going to take. Due to the lack of specific information provided on the individual, and the common nature of their name, the original poster felt a local firm would be the best bet to discover information about this individual that could then be provided to the client.

While finding background information on non-U.S. based individuals and companies is more challenging than U.S. searches, it is not impossible. It may, however, involve working through different channels, including outsourcing the investigation and working with professionals who are more familiar with the resources and restrictions for each country.

Hot Topic: Cybersecurity solutions

AIIP-L, AIIP’s active, private discussion list, is one of AIIP’s premier benefits and ways of connecting member-to-member. In this forum, we share tips for working on and in our businesses, including marketing, product development, technology, and much more. This new quarterly series, compiled by Carrie Hunsucker, summarizes the latest hot topics.

When working remotely, cybersecurity is always a paramount concern. Back-up storage, virus protection, and other strategies have to be employed in order to ensure vital information is not lost to technological glitches or malicious actors. In a recent AIIP-L thread, there was a lively discussion about these issues, and readers could learn about the myriad of ways members protect themselves and their livelihood from harm.

Addressing your business address

Is your info business based out of your home? Have you considered using a virtual office or private mailbox service instead of publicly listing your residential address?

That’s an issue of interest to members of AIIP, the Association of Independent Information Professionals. On AIIP-L, our members-only online discussion group (and one of the most-frequently mentioned benefits of AIIP membership) we recently addressed this question.

A compilation of all the responses on this topic is available for AIIP members and below is a summary of some of the considerations AIIP members raised.

Continue reading Addressing your business address