Back in high school, preparation for a speech or research paper usually included the creation of note cards. Each card would be linked to a source, it would have a fact or figure or quotation or explanation (supporting material for the writing or speaking project). From time to time, I have searched for technological versions of the same thing. As I write sermons, I need a place to keep the random thoughts and reflections as well as research I find on the sermon topic. I am an avid WordPerfect user as well I use EndNote which is a database bibliography creator. EndNote was an answer to prayer several years ago. It is extremely valuable and very helpful. I highly recommend it. However, I needed something that would work quickly to store random thoughts and then allow me to organize those random thoughts.
- Cardfiles and Outliners
CorelCentral Cardfile–The cardfile program that came with WordPerfect Office Suite functions like a small database. Folders can be created with specific fields that belong to each card. Plus card specific fields can be added. The cards are sorted alphabetically and cannot be re-ordered in outline format. The cards to not insert into wordprocessors easily even though it happens to come in a wordprocessor office suite. - AZZ Cardfile–AZZ Cardfile replaces the old Microsoft Cardfile. It was easy to add notes randomly. However, the notes are stored alphabetically. It would allow for graphics to be added to each note as well, the notes could be formatted (with bold, outline, etc). www.azzcardfile.com
- WhizNotes–WhizNotes is a free cardfile program that can be downloaded from http://www.yestersoft.com./ It is quick and simple. The cards cannot be formatted. It does not allow for graphics to be added. It does cut and paste in and out quickly. It is very basic.
WhizFolders–WhizFolders Pro replaced WhizNotes. It is much more versatile. Each card can be formatted. They can contain graphics. The notes themselves can be easily organized into an outline form. The individual cards and the whole outlines can be imported into a wordprocessor easily. So far, it seems to do everything I was looking for a card file to do. www.whizfolders.com - TexNotes–TexNotes is the most attractive and colorful of the notecard/outline programs I have looked at. It has a lot of functionality. But, in some ways I think it has too much functionality. It could easily replace your wordprocessor but that makes it less convenient for making quick and easy notes. www.gemx.com
- MaxThink–MaxThink is essentially an outline. It did seem to have some functionality that doesn’t come with the built-in outline functions in Word or WordPerfect but did not come with the card function that I was looking for. www.maxthink.com
- NoteMap–NoteMap by Casesoft is an outlining program designed specifically for lawyers (as all of Casesofts software is). As an outliner it is exceptional but it did not come with the card function I was looking for. http://www.casesoft.com/
- Keynote–Keynote is a freeware software program from http://www.tranglos.com/ It has a good functionality. It allows for the creation of cards and the cards can be outlined within the program. However, once the outlined structure is created it takes a bit of work to export it into a word processor. It allows for limited types of graphic files to be entered. .btm, .gif, etc. The look is fairly straightforward.
Mind Mapping Software
Mind mapping software create mind schemas or maps. Again, think about writing class in Jr. High or High School The central topic is placed on a page and then nodes are drawn from it. There are several programs which do this. These are helpful brainstorming tools. The key is to have enough keyboard shortcuts to make the process of brainstorming as quick as it is supposed to be. I looked at these a couple of years ago and decided to purchase Microsoft Visio instead of any of the programs explicitly dedicated to mind-mapping. Like most things Microsoft, Visio does a lot of things but its broad versatility means it doesn’t do specific functions as quickly or as complexly as I’d like.
- Inspiration–Inspiration is targeted for kids writing programs; however, there is a whole community of folk who use it for business application. www.inspiration.com
- Mindgenius– www.mindgenius.com
- Mindmanager–Like most of the other brainstorming, mind-mapping software, Mindmanager is primarily geared for business applications. It seemed to be the most versatile in terms of project management though not necessarily the best if you wanted to produce interesting mind-maps with pictures and the like www.mindjet.com
- ConceptDraw–Concept Draw comes with a project organizer, a draw program and a mind map program that work well with each other. www.conceptdraw.com
Ultimately, I decided that the programs I really found most useful Mindgenius and Mindmanager were both prohibitively expensive.
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