Zengobi Forums

[mikedj72]

After a search of the forums, I see there are no plans at this time for templates. The reply I read surrounded something around the facts that the best templates can be created by users, and that info was personal or sensitive in nature.

I'd like to request the simple examples used in the webpage to sell this software. If not in the software, upload them here to the forum. There are about 8 or 10 slides that looked awesome to me as I downloaded the trial. I had a meeting that I needed to quickly put together some action points in list form, and a small mindmap of how those points could be implemented by the organization. The list was simply quick enough, but the mindmap was not easy out of the box.(It is now since watching the video) But I needed a software solution 30 minutes before the meeting. I could have defaulted to my word doc, but wanted to do something different to help sell the plan.

I actually made it over the Mindjet and quickly installed their program with a few templates to make something for the meeting. Coming from the boring Word docs to something with Visual was a hit. I think Curio is what I want, but I had to use Mindjet with ease out of the box.

George, I'm sure there are more important things to be working on to keep the user base happy and grow the sales. I think it would be a hit just to simply upload the versions/examples we see on the page for the software. It would allow me in my busy schedule to copy some examples to quickly start using the program in our office, and not have to learn over time. And learning over time in my schedule typically kills me from purchasing the software and I land back to what works.

I'll say now that I'm sorry to those that might answer, "Just take the time if you want it that bad." I really don't.

When I land on the website for Curio or Mindjet and see the examples, I think, "I want that to be me in my next meeting." With my specific details or concept, that can be me within 10 minutes on Mindjet, but not Curio. Yes, Curio is so much more, but please help me get over this hump.

Have I beat a dead horse?

[george]

We include a number of bundled templates and stencils with Curio. However, it depends on where you look since we have project templates, idea space templates, mind map stencils, list stencils, and figure stencils.

Choose File > New Project to see the Project Gallery and the included project templates in the Bundled area.

Click the New button on the toolbar will show the Idea Space Gallery and the included templates are in the Bundled > Templates area.

List, mind map, table, index card, and figure stencils are found by clicking their respective toolbar buttons and looking in Bundled > Stencils.

Can you tell me which mind map template you were looking for?

[mikedj72]

George, thanks for the quick reply!

I'm testing the first Mac for our company, so this may be of my fault due to languages and terms. I had searched under the help button for Templates within the software with no luck. But your Getting Started document has a lot of good stuff in it that can be copied as a new starting point. It's not a template by name, but it is exactly that for me. I'm ripping some stuff from there now.

Also, when hitting new item, I was only clicking on styles. On a mind map, the styles are simply the first starting box. The Stencils were what I needed to click to get a start. I'm just familar with the word Templates vs Stencils in Windows programs. Maybe that isn't Mac terminology, maybe specific to Curio.

Stencils and the Getting Started document are great starting point for me.

Specific to how I plan on using the software at our company is the visual task manager on slide 7 from the front page. We're a fuel distributor. I'd like to do a Product Handling Procedures around that example. Layout the various stages in handling, with multiple levels of sub-branches that eventually land on documents such as MSDS sheets, Note Cards on Best Practices, etc. I love the visual of that slide, but think I can now replicate it with some of the items in the Getting Started pages.

I'll continue to come back to this thread if I have more specific request regarding templates. But I still hope the question has been helpful. There seems to be some great starting material within the software, but those quickly scanning like myself, I didn't see it that well. Go to mapsforthat.com and hit productivity under templates, THAT can suck a person in my position into purchasing quickly. So much material I can start with. I would hope you can better highlight this in the future.

I plan on making the purchase and moving into use of the product. I'm hoping that it's something that can be implemented across the company and we purchase 25 copies.

[george]

Very good feedback. I'll certainly think of ways to make the templates/stencils more noticeable and more fleshed out.

I'm glad you're enjoying Curio! If you have any other questions or comments feel free to post here or send me a note directly via email.

[jjweimer]

Wow!

Welcome on board in your evaluation! FWIW ... Curio is a great product for laying out "mind maps" of information in the way you seem to be considering. I would also say, Curio's distinct advantage over other dedicated mind-mapping applications is in its ability to lay out and drill in to all sorts of other information (assets) too.

George is also an attentive and very responsive developer.

Hope you will find a good match with Curio to what you need.

--
JJW