Questions about mapping a system

[thunder-weather.livejournal.com]

Hello all.

In the memories, I saw an article on system mapping--(this one, I believe)--and I thought that I would ask about experiences with mapping one's system.

The larger group has tried several of the methods listed there and they've been interesting to complete. However, they didn't give much insight on how the system was laid out or how it worked. We can make lists or tables or design a book of everyone, and it hardly helps. The family tree wasn't as helpful, because not all of us have split, but we got some information from it.

Recently, however, we discovered Inkscape Vector Illustrator--(I imagine that many vector illustration programs would work similarly)--and decided to use that for a map. Now these circles represent the main group with its levels of closeness (green), as well as the connection with the other world (blue/purple).

And finally, that brings me to my questions. Have you mapped your system? If yes, why? Have you been successful, and how do you define success? And also, how did you map it?

--Andras

Comments

[ridetothesea.livejournal.com]

That's my problem. I'm the one that wants to do it (everybody else goes "Eh...") and I'd want to put everything in before I'd be satisfied.

Connections like "This person is in a relationship with this person, and this is his brother, and this is his friend, and this is his adopted daughter, and this person he doesn't get along well with at all..." Something that showed the dynamics of all the relationships here. Which would be impossible. And I've tried simple ones, but I'm never satisfied with them, so I just give up. :D

Dylan

[thunder-weather.livejournal.com]

Have you tried mind mapping software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mind_mapping_software)? It seems like that might help, if you could change the line colors and connect people in different ways. Doing that would probably be very difficult, if not impossible as you said. Maybe giving up is the better solution. :P

[ridetothesea.livejournal.com]

Actually I haven't, but I will now. :)

[tej-agni.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link. Maybe we'll try something like this for something.

[cold-ataraxy.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the link. We need to try that. It seems like we could maybe use that more to get our system somewhat mapped.