So what about the personalized "canned" astrology readings available on the Internet? Computer generated birth chart interpretations (personality profiles), synastry interpretations (romance and/or compatibility reports), transit lists (marking out future trends in one's life), and more... Helpful, hurtful, or harmless?

Pros and Cons
Regardless of which type of personalized "canned" report you're considering purchasing, there are certain general pros and cons which will typically apply.

The Pros

Affordability
Amount of Information
Testing The Waters
Affordability
Let's face it. Paying for a personal reading and/or consultation by a professional astrologer isn't exactly cheap. Some astrologers are more expensive than others. Some parts of the world are more expensive than others. But generally speaking it's not cheap. I'm certainly not going to apologize for the fact that a personal reading with an astrologer is going to cost you several of your hard earned bucks. Let's keep a wee bit of perspective regarding this cost issue, eh? Western society is used to paying other highly trained professionals exorbitant prices without so much as the "blinking of an eye." Your astrologer, as with any other highly trained professional, has studied long and hard to gain expertise in his or her craft. And while not always an ironclad rule, you tend to get (value and pay attention to) what you pay for.

Quantity of Information
The sheer quantity of information you'll get in a personalized "canned" report is going to be more comprehensive than you'll get in a one hour session with a professional astrologer.

Testing The Waters
Personalized "canned" reports allow consumers an inexpensive way to "test the waters" of astrology. If personalized "canned" reports serve as a "springboard," "gateway," or "midwife" to an increased interest in astrology, an increased awareness of "soul growth," and an increased desire for meaningful, purposeful living - then consumers will ultimately benefit from the availability of these inexpensive "canned" reports.

The Cons

Lack of Communication
Quantity of Information
On A Wing & A Prayer

Lack of Communication
In Stephen Arroyo's newly re-released classic, Practicing The Cosmic Science, he relates: "I recently read a study of 'communication skills' that concluded only 7% of in-person communication consisted of words exchanged. The other 93% was tone of voice, body language, attitudes, vibrations, and other energies. And remember that all 93% is missing in computer horoscope or mail-order horoscope interpretations."

In a personalized "canned" report the astrologer has to go for the most general interpretations regarding the different symbolic combinations involved. In a "canned" report, the astrologer doesn't have the luxury of having "give and take" communication with the client. It's an all too commonly held perception that when going for a personal astrology reading, one should "test" the astrologer by keeping quiet and expecting the astrologer to do all the talking. I know it's all too common, because it's exactly what I thought the first few times I went to see an astrologer. I could go on here ad finitum, but this is a subject best saved for its own future article. I'll simply say, that in an astrology reading, the astrologer is not there merely for purposes of impressing the client with how clever astrology is. The client gets more "bang for their buck" in an astrology reading if they participate in "give and take" communication with the astrologer.

Quantity Of Information
No, you're not confused. This previously mentioned pro is also one of the cons. Businesses of all shapes and sizes have learned a simple fact after countless years of experience. Consumers often confuse quantity with quality. So, as with every other business on the face of the earth, astrologers brag about our comprehensive 20, 30, and 40 page reports! In order to fill up 30 or 40 pages of information - we utilize large fonts, take up two pages explaining something which could have satisfactorily been explained in two short paragraphs, and sometimes include information that's not all that significant.

On A Wing & A Prayer
This is closely related to Con 1: Lack of Communication. Software programs, software programmers, and artificial intelligence are becoming smarter and more sophisticated with each and every passing day. However, the majority of software programs spit out information, and then the consumer is left with the task of playing "amateur astrologer" and weighing out which of parts of the reading might be more significant than other parts. (Remember, in Con 2 just above, we included information in the report that may not be all that significant?) Savvy software program writers attempt a certain amount of assistance with the sorting out of various interpretations - but, generally speaking, the consumer is still usually pretty much on a "wing and a prayer" when attempting to interpret the interpretations without the aid of a real, live astrologer. Going back to Con 1 - in a written text, the absentee astrologer is not present and cannot communicate the meaning and/or import of their words with the consumer.

Final Thoughts
First off, let's not forget the pros.

Affordability
Amount of Information
Testing The Waters
If personalized "canned" reports serve as a "springboard," "gateway," or "midwife" to increased interest in astrology, increased awareness of "soul growth," and increased desire for meaningful, purposeful living - then consumers will ultimately benefit from the availability of these inexpensive "canned" reports. However... if consumers rely on the watered down, two dimensional version astrology of "canned" reports (and never the darken the door of a real, live, flesh and blood astrologer) - then consumers will find themselves missing out on the very best astrology has to offer.


source:
http://astrology.about.com/library/weekly/aa120199.htm