Hi Dick.  I think the main issue you raise is a very important one ... the dialogue mapping technique is distinct from the tools/media used to support the technique.  I've spent the past 15 years grappling with the problem of creating tools with the right affordances to support the delicate linguistic dance of dialogue mapping.  We've gotten closer, but we aint done yet.

The biggest challenge is the diversity of learning and communication styles among participants in these groups.  In my own experience with client groups, for example, some people love the icons (probably graphical thinkers), while others view them as nice but mostly a waste of space (textual thinkers).

The indented text outline really works for some people.  They love the density of text, the clean hierarchical structure, and the familiarity of indentation as structure.  Back in 1990, when we were starting Corporate Memory Systems, the design spec for QuestMap included an "outline view", allowing users to toggle between map and outline views of the same material ... but we had to drop it because of tight schedules and implementation difficulties.  I'm pretty sure it's on the wish list for Compendium as well.  And the earliest research I did with capturing software design rationale, back in the 80's, was done using an indented text version of IBIS (1).  In fact, I think we called it "it-IBIS"!

Anyway, I'd echo Michael's suggestion that the best medium to use is the one that works the best for you, and for the group if you're using shared display.  I always use Compendium with my clients, because of the representational power and flexibility it gives me ... but my hands have known the Compendium user interface for almost 15 years (the Compendium hot keys are pretty much the same as those for QuestMap)! 

And, for some uses and users I suspect the text outline is a better choice.

Good luck, and happy mapping!  ;)
Jeff

(1) http://www.leaonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327051hci0603&4_6

At 10:18 PM 3/6/2006, you wrote:

I've been reading about and using Compendium today. It is not pleasing.

Why would anyone put up with a note taking system which can't keep up
with typing?

When I see how little fits on a page, I'm inclined to forgo the icons
completely and just use an indented structure and abbreviations.
Perhaps (in part) like this:

?? What dialogue mapping tool should I use?
  . . !! Compendium
  . . . . ++ Nice icons
  . . . . ++ Hypertext
  . . . . ++ Transclusions
  . . . . ++ Conversions to other media
  . . . . - - slow
  . . . . - - wastes space
  . . . . - - takes hours of practice
  . . !! TextEdit
  . . . . ++ I'm already proficient
  . . . . ++ dense on the screen
  . . . . ++ unlikely to hang
  . . . . - - no help for hypertext
  . . !! TextWrangler
  . . . . ++ can use two column display
  . . . . ++ super dense on the screen
  . . . . ++ can use tabs (but not in email)
  . . . . - - no help for hypertext

Have you made do with no specialized tool except a laptop & digital
projector?
Am I just being silly and resisting spending the few hours to become
proficient?
Are the icons really important?
Am I fooling myself about the density on the shared display?

Dick



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Dr. Jeff Conklin
CogNexus Institute ... Collaborative Display, Collective Intelligence
http://cognexus.org   Phone: 707-256-3425  Fax: 707-256-3903
1037 Juarez St., Napa, CA  94559    USA