The global economic outlook is looking increasingly bleak; but local business costs seem to be defying gravity – rentals, utilities and transporatation costs all still appear to be heading north.  Now is the time to seriously consider running your company partially, or even fully, online.

BusinessWeek’s enligtening special report (To Expand Your Busieness, Go Home) examines how some small businesses have successfully cut expenses and boosted productivity by moving their operations online.

I find mind mapping to be an invaluable technique in almost everything I do – be it planning a new project, writing an article, or even preparing for a holiday trip.

I started using mind maps in ernest when I stumbled across NovaMind – a great mind mapping software package that made creating, managing & archiving mind maps a cinch. I have since discovered many other mind mapping tools with different abilities and advantages, some of which are absolutely free.

Here are two extensive lists of the various mind mapping related tools and resources you can find on the web:

• 99 Mind Mapping Resources, Tools & Tips from collegedegree.com
• Suryadiputra Liawatimena’s list of 100+ Tools, Resources, and Tutorials

I’m currently using the free, java-based Free Mind for stand-alone maps as well as the web-based MindMesiter application when I need to do a spot of collaborative mind mapping.