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← Back to postsWhy I Built Mermaid Mind - Even Though Google Launched NotebookLM

Why I Built Mermaid Mind - Even Though Google Launched NotebookLM

Published: 10/7/2025

When Google launched NotebookLM, I was genuinely excited and honestly, a little nervous.

I had spent months building Mermaid Mind, a tool that turns YouTube videos into visual mind maps and keyword pill tags in seconds. So when I saw Google’s shiny new demo that could summarise sources and visualise concepts, my first thought was, “Uh oh… did they just build what I’m building?”

But after spending time with NotebookLM, something clicked for me — it wasn’t competition.

It was validation.

Google just proved the same thing I’ve believed all along: the world is hungry for better ways to think visually.

✨ What NotebookLM Does Brilliantly

Let’s give Google credit where it’s due.

NotebookLM is a beautiful tool for organising complex knowledge. It can take YouTube links, PDFs, and documents, then generate summaries, timelines, and “mind map–like” outlines from them. It feels like having a research assistant who understands context and structure.

For students, researchers, and knowledge workers, it’s a huge leap forward. It helps you study better, remember better, and make connections across materials.

🚀 Where It Falls Short — and Where Mermaid Mind Comes In

NotebookLM helps you organise knowledge.
Mermaid Mind helps you visualise ideas.

NotebookLM gives you neat summaries, but Mermaid Mind gives you structure, shareability, and creative control.
It’s designed not for researchers - but for creators, marketers, and educators who need to turn video knowledge into visual, reusable assets.

🧩 Why “Pill Tags” Matter More Than They Look

One of the features I love most is our pill tags.

They’re not just design decoration - they’re semantic clues. Each tag captures the recurring concepts, themes, or SEO keywords from a video’s transcript.

In practice, these tags help users:

  • Generate topic clusters for content strategy
  • Find the “story gold” hidden in long-form videos
  • Build personal knowledge networks or content calendars

It’s like turning hours of YouTube research into a structured visual story within seconds.

🔭 The Vision

I don’t want to build another note-taking tool.
I want to build a visual thinking engine for creators.

Whether you’re analysing a TED Talk, exploring a business podcast, or brainstorming your next YouTube script, Mermaid Mind helps you see how ideas connect - in real time.

It’s for people who learn by doing, think in visuals, and want to share their thought process with the world.

NotebookLM stays private by design.
Mermaid Mind is built for sharing, storytelling, and creation.

💬 Final Thoughts

I admire NotebookLM - it’s an incredible step toward augmenting human thought.
But it’s also a reminder that there’s so much room for focused, creative tools that help us express ideas differently.

That’s why I built Mermaid Mind - to give creators the ability to turn information into insight, and insight into something beautifully visual.

If that resonates with you, you can try it here:
👉 https://yttomermaid.xyz

Note: You can also test it out and fill in my quick feedback form 👉 https://forms.gle/NdPNb9ZvMbxyfCfo9