Speaking of personalization and education for an average user today, I got the following question when I went to my Yahoo! mailbox today.
For all the talk on the Web about being geographically independent, an average user is going to be confused about how the account will be faster if it is moving closer to his/her place. This is a technical issue, geographical distances make a difference for the servers, and indirectly for the users. I wonder if Yahoo! could have done away with this question, I am glad I got it, but I am not sure if my Dad will understand this or its implications. Once moved, it will show all content in the new context. Inevitably, some will face problems, and they will have to be sorted out.
The problem with personalization is that questions will be asked, and users will have to answer them. If not known, a lot of them will be incorrect and ruin the advantages of personalization. We are now moving from the preferences to personalization, where it is not a matter of just some settings, it is a matter of the integrated experience.
