--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Personalization Isn’t Everything" id: "39396" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-personalization-isnt-everything" published_at: "2017-08-17T21:59:03+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T16:16:44+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/17/thursday-buzz-personalization-isnt-everything/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/08/17/thursday-buzz-personalization-isnt-everything.md" excerpt: "Personalization may help your organization create a more targeted conference experience, but researchers say that it’s not a silver bullet. Also: Bad email etiquette could be sending the wrong message to your coworkers." taxonomy_category: - "Learning" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conferences" - "E-learning" - "Meetings" - "personalization" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Personalization Isn’t Everything “Personalization” is a buzzword in the association space. Many are eager to leverage personal data to make conferences more targeted to attendees. But true personalization doesn’t just depend on the trove of data points that you have on attendees. “Personalization of a conference experience is a much deeper and complex ambition than making it configurable,” writes Jeff Hurt in a recent post for the [Velvet Chainsaw blog (opens in a new tab)](http://velvetchainsaw.com/2017/08/03/cautionary-word-research-personalization/) . Hurt makes a connection between personalized learning and providing a robust conference experience. To define personalized learning, Hurt points to a recent study from the RAND Corporation that analyzed schools that use personalized learning approaches. According to RAND, “personalized learning at its basic level is designing learning experiences that meet a learner’s individual needs while incorporating their interests, preferences, social-emotional factors, goals, aspirations, and ongoing progress.” Sounds like a great approach for conferences, right? Hurt goes to on to point to other research that shows “promising signs” for personalized learning, but he cautions that it doesn’t work in all situations. “Learners must spend most of their time learning cognitive skills and concepts through individual and collaborative deep learning experiences, say the developers of the Summit Learning Project and effective personalization methods,” writes Hurt. ### Email Etiquette > What Do Your Emails Say About You? [@AGauthor (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/AGauthor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/VjdP2ynft1 (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/VjdP2ynft1) > > — Inc. (@Inc) [August 17, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Inc/status/898199759600660481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Through the years**, workplace email style has become much more casual. But *Inc.* contributor Andrew Griffiths warns that it’s no excuse for being so fast and loose as to come across as unprofessional. [Griffiths recommends (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/andrew-griffiths/what-do-your-emails-say-about-you.html) taking a few minutes to reread and reconsider your emails before you hit send. Ask yourself if your email is respectful and strikes the right tone. Also, make sure that you are explaining everything clearly. And double-check that you’ve attached your attachments. “Producing carefully considered communication is yet another way to stand out from the crowd,” writes Griffiths. ### Other Links of Note **Take a cue from *The West Wing*.** Beth’s Blog shares a few tips for [taking walking meetings (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bethkanter.org/walking-meetings-2/) . **What type of leader are you?** *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog* shares the three [types of nonprofit thought leaders (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2017/08/10/the-three-types-of-nonprofit-thought-leaders/) . **Don’t give in to ransomware.** [BizTech Magazine (opens in a new tab)](https://biztechmagazine.com/article/2017/08/why-you-shouldn-t-give-ransomware) shares a few best practices to follow to protect your organization from cyberattacks. (olaser/Getty Images Plus) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#E-learning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/e-learning/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#personalization](https://associationsnow.com/tag/personalization/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [ArticleAI in Professional Development: Future-Proofing TrainingJuly 21, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/07/21/ai-in-professional-development-future-proofing-training/) - [ArticleAdaptive and Personalized Learning Through AI: A Realistic Assessment of ValueJune 23, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/23/adaptive-and-personalized-learning-through-ai-a-realistic-assessment-of-value/) - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F08%2F17%2Fthursday-buzz-personalization-isnt-everything%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !