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4/16/07

Registering a Domain Name

Great meeting last month. We've got a lot of new topics on the list. Great group participation. I'm working on lining up some guest speakers. keep checking back, I'll continue to post the examples and powerpoints from every meeting for review.

Got a Great Web Site name in Mind? We are going to register a couple of domains at this month's meeting, so come learn how, as we go through the process.

Come join us at the Web Publishing SIG on April 16, 2007 (the Third Monday) at 7:00pm.

3/21/07

Knowledge Mapping

Last Month, we covered Mind Mapping, which allows all facets of a project to be neatly organized stemming from a central hub. This month we will take it one step further, and discuss Concept Mapping.

Concept Maps are drawings used to organize information. Concepts are small bits of information or ideas. These concepts are connected to each other by using lines to indicate relationships. The relationships are clarified by using linking phrases to provide information about how the concepts are related. By laying everything out as a drawing, it is much easier to see how everything works from a high level view, which works out very well for explaining details of a project to customers.

If I haven't lost you yet, here are some examples of how I use concept maps:
Layout production workflows for data processing. Database Relation Modeling to work out the details of table relations. Web Site navigation Layout.

At this months meeting, I will create a concept map for a web development project. We will be using CMapTools, which is a very nicely laid out and intuitive knowledge mapping application, and... It's FREE! For those interested, you can find it here: http://cmap.ihmc.us/.

Come join us at the Small Business SIG on March 21, 2007 (the Third Wednesday) at 7:00pm.

2/21/07

Mind Mapping

Do you find it tough to keep track of all the details of a project? Does it seem that the only way to keep everything in order is to use a standard outline that spans many pages? Well, it doesn't have to be that way. By drawing your project tasks, sub-tasks... using connected branches stemming out from a central hub, it is quite easy to consolidate and simplify a project concept. Mind Mapping allows you to visually organize your thoughts by laying them out more like a drawing instead of a document. This makes for a very easy to follow concepts, thoughts, and relationships. It can be used internally or for explaining details to your customers.

At this months meeting, I will create a mind map for a web development project. We will be using Freemind, which is a very nicely laid out and intuitive mind mapping application, and... It's FREE! For those interested, you can find it here: http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page.

Come join us at the Small Business SIG on February 21, 2007 (the Third Wednesday) at 7:00pm. Get There Early, Handouts and Application CD's will be available in limited quantity.

Presentations