A Call for Short Message Formats for Contemporary Dissemination, Alert and Notification

The increasing dominance of mobile and small form factor devices, such as cellular phones or tablets, biases communication towards short message formats. Popular social media websites and services reflect a growing trend towards shortened messages. Together, the rise of social media and personal devices may also hint at a public expectation and desire for more personalized information. While these trends are not new, the hydro-meteorological community increasingly relies on use of images / graphics, long descriptions, and sometimes ill fitted attempts to localize information. In order to improve alert and notification, trends in communication devices and services are examined, as are the advantages and disadvantages of short and information rich messages.