Not those terms - people got their panties in a bunch instead of actually taking the time to understand. We need a way to delineate a 20-year storm spotter from the 17 year old who just watched Twister and cheated on the test (yes, those do exist.) GIving added weight to the 20-year vet is a good thing.
But wait... According to your previous posts, all SN reports are from trained spotters who have passed a thorough exam before being allowed into the system and the contents of said reports should be taken as fact and disseminated to all local media outlets and public safety sources as well as anyone else who might be looking at a computer.
As far as displaying on EVERYONES screen who happens to be looking at a radar, that is only the case if they seek out the correct address and update their software accordingly.
I made this argument to Tyler Allison a couple years ago. Some people will do whatever it takes to attain a higher "rank". You can see it kn these forums. People will post in every topic they can find because they think that of they can get that post count over 10,000 then their social status will somehow increase in the world.
No human intervention is one of the biggest drawbacks. When somebody gets on there and states that a tornado just demolished a building, the media is going to run with that onformation. Then other people come forward with twister tales and the alarmists and sensationalism just takes off... When in reality, a couple pieces of tin flew off the roof of an old barn in some wind...
It is cases like this and the ones I have previously mentioned why SN reports are mostly disregarded unless a similar report comes in via the conventional channels.
You stated that SN is one way... This is yet another reason i dont like it. When you call on the phone, the peraon on the other end can ask questions and get details... Same thing with the radio. When i call in, I can use the identification number that i was given by the NWS and they know what kind of training i have recieved and they have my contact information. On SN, they know that the person has passed a 10 question quiz.
SN is kind of a neat social tool for spotters to see each other on a map, but that is just about the end of its usefulness.