Okay. This seems to be a very touchy subject for meteorologists. But when you start to mix news and entertainment (or in this instance, science and entertainment) you get strange results.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nemo-winter-storm-20130208,0,401412.story
It's an interesting controversy. The traditional meteorologists insist that the average laymen will be confused and assume it's a hurricane. But the Weather Channel insists that by giving names to winter storms, people using social media can more easily access the latest updates on a storm by using the storm's name in a search.
So on the one hand we have Old School objections based on many years of past research as far as public perceptions and their proclivity toward confusion. But on the other we have Millenial research indicating a new generation of information seekers now exists who filter news data differently, and would be more confused and in the dark if the storms had no names.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nemo-winter-storm-20130208,0,401412.story
Naming a winter storm? Meteorologists are appalled by Nemo
By Alana Semuels -- February 8, 2013
BOSTON -- Meteorologists might not be sure whether the storm heading into the East Coast will drop 12 inches or 24, but they are sure about one thing – this storm is definitely, absolutely, not called Nemo.
But that’s what the Weather Channel has decided to call it, part of a policy announced in the fall in which the TV station will give names to winter storms so that people can more easily follow them.
It’s angered a few meteorologists, and has spurred a Facebook page, "STOP the Weather Channel from naming winter storms."
...
It's an interesting controversy. The traditional meteorologists insist that the average laymen will be confused and assume it's a hurricane. But the Weather Channel insists that by giving names to winter storms, people using social media can more easily access the latest updates on a storm by using the storm's name in a search.
So on the one hand we have Old School objections based on many years of past research as far as public perceptions and their proclivity toward confusion. But on the other we have Millenial research indicating a new generation of information seekers now exists who filter news data differently, and would be more confused and in the dark if the storms had no names.
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