New feature in gmail adds to MM8 ...

OK ... here is a good one, let me set the stage for the scenario for use first ... I have kept project and general info in maps for ages and find the utility of it great, but interface and presentation can sometime leave more to be desired ... the main hangup is adjusting the view and taking things out of context .. specifically since gmail is now my email service of choice, it was cut and paste whenever the need arose.

Enter a new labs feature that allows you to create a document from the email .. thus having the entirety of the thread available .. so the first shot shows the button that is enabled when you turn the gmail to doc service on under you labs tab ... once you save your doc, it will appear as a normal google docs entry in your gdoc folders ... at this point, you are free to annotate, share, markup, etc and operate on the email thread like a regular document (one really nice thing that can be done directly here is to annotate in color and then send back by emailing the doc to your group).

The next shot is an open mind map that you can create for any purpose .. a single project, a dashboard, a general collabortive space, etc ... you can map to your hearts content ... I show the browser window open and it now lists the main window on your gdocs directory ... see the top entry is the newly created email doc. You can then open the document and as circled on the screenshot, you hit the hyperlink sign that adds the individual doc directly to the map ... the last shot shows the new link in your map, so you get to it directly .... this opens up a whole world of efficiency in your info retrieval from gmail ... the ability to instantly pull up information buried in email threads and then highlight or annotate and share with others is what information management is all about ... by combining the new additions to gmail utitility with the new power of MindManager 8 you have a WINNER ...

One other thing worth noting ... MindManager connect service and web application allows for working in the cloud ... all you road warriors take note as I also took another step with this exercise and went up to the net to see how this map would translate ... it is just like working on your desktop ... thus you have the means to not skipping a beat as the map itself is synched to the net and your docs and email are there, so computing in the cloud is a virtual reality ... double WINNER ....