How is using a short code to text contacts different than using a full phone number?

Text messages can be sent from short code or long code numbers. If you have an emergency alert system on campus, it uses short codes. There are several texting companies that use short code sending (e.g., EZ Texting). They allow anyone from a barber to a sports team to lease a keyword. For example, "Text HOMERUN to 313131 to sign up for text updates on the local baseball team."

There are several negatives of short codes: - It is very expensive to have your own. - Shared short codes are more affordable, but recipients may receive messages from many different brands from the same number. - Recipients perceive short codes to be impersonal and "salesy" - they are often used for sweepstakes. - Short codes are most often automated and contain "robotic" language. This type of approach removes the possibility of personalization and leads recipients to believe they are communicating with a service, not a real person.