Wiki Mind Map

Are there currently any ideas about designing MindMaps that would work like Wikis? The basic concept would be an electronic mind map that anyone could edit as they pleased, just like Wikis. -- ChuckSmith

The best base to do that that I know of is the GPL-open-source-Java mind mapping program FreeMind. As a mind mapper, the program is already very nice. Making it save into a format that can be stored in a wiki page should not be too difficult. In the wiki, the mind map would appear as an outline with indentations. But you would be able to read this wiki page with FreeMind and display it as a mind map. See the FreeMind page for a link to a wiki.

There is already a step out, that is the CDDL-open-source-Java WebOfWeb?. Though WoW is not to mimic classic HTML-based wiki, it records editing histories and editors as Wiki does; it even further allows concurrent updates to MindMaps? in a realtime manner, and provides instant messaging supports. Check out for a demo, and source code is available at
What is the difference in structure between linked pages and MindMaps or ConceptMaps?

In an abstract sense they are each graphs, collections of linked nodes. The main structural difference with MindMaps and ConceptMaps are that they usually exist on one page, and can be seen at a glance. Sure, on a small page with hyperlinks, you can see all the links to other pages, but never the links from other pages.

Another difference, and who knows if this is structural, is that for the maps, you only see the nodes and links. For the linked pages, you see a lot of context as well.

Maybe what is needed is some sort of navigation window which shows a clickable overview of the MindMap structure, with the content of the selected node showing in another window. Also, the links in a MindMap have descriptions attached which indicate the relation of the nodes to each other. So you'd have to find someway to attach this info to a hypertext link.

A map with clickable links exists on wiki pages, Click VisualTour, and then click on the text in the oval to go to the page. The map is generated by WebdotGraphServer. See also: VisualizeTheWiki GraphViz

Someone just posted the following concerning WikiMindMaps. It sounds interesting. Nothing much on the SourceForge-page yet, but it seems like they will post something there soon. Here it goes:
"Hi, My friend Akiyah have developed MindMapBBS, aim to create web-based MindMapping without rich UI browser. He is planning connecting with wiki from MindMapBBS. MindMapBBS is Zope Product(DTML Based), can be used as inlined object in DTML Document/Method. He called **Small Product**. (Now, supported japanese only)."

Kwiki support WikiMindMap:
WikkaWiki ( is a PHP/MySQL WikiEngine with native support for FreeMind maps and data.
You migth also have a look on It's an adopted version of FreeMind. In the end you edit the content in the wiki (e.g. wikipedia) itselfs, but you can browse the wiki as if it would be a mindmap.
