I/V:
Mal Jago - General Manager: Coastalwatch Technologies:
29th May 2003
What's your background?
Foreign exchange dealer - banking 15 years.
What
are the aims and objectives of CoastalWatch?
Keep site going after a bumpy patch 18 months
ago,(and in general internet), build up our service
offering and continue to improve how and the way
we deliver this info. Surfing isn't a minority,
it's one of the biggest sports in this country
and one that we have a comparative advantage in.
We have grown virally to date and are knocking
on the heals of a few of the big end of town.
When
did you first launch the site?
1998.
What
changes have occured to the surfing portal business,
and in particular Coastal Watch over the years?
People said content wasn't the future, which was
true but more and more with advances if you have
something that there is a natural demand or need
to use info people will find you... not content
for the sake of content.
Ccameras
vary depending on locations and money in the bank.
We are hosted at Flow Communications
who have been helping us manage our huge data
requirements. We have been supplying SMS
content and MMS for
some time. As well moving to broadband as we speak.
How
does the whole operation come together?
With
dedication from the founder, Chris
Lane, and some very clever technology as
well as a team of dedicated surf reporters.
Who
are your biggest backers?
Surf board shapers, and also Telco providers.
Private funders have been very keen to support
us and see great long term prospects
Surfing Australia,
have stood by us and we work closely with them.
Boost mobile and
Quiksilver have been
good. Jake Patterson
been great.. in general we receive most support
from outside the industry oddly enough.
What
well known surfers and industry authorities do
you work with to "make it happen"?
SO
many it's a joke, moving to ADSL , trialling 3G
to get surfing live (it works) Some web development
a\with assoc industries, Government grant with
wave modeling. And lots of others.
How
many beaches do you monitor?
30 I think... with the help of a few linked guys
like Centralcoastsports.com etc
What
traditional and surfing media exposure has Coastal
Watch received?
Good
article in the SMH (Sydney
Morning Herald). Not too much surf media
coverage. The Jack McCoy
Film Festival gave us great coverage.
How
much of the work do you do, and how much, and
what, gets delegated?
I
do very little. Its our tech guru Chris
Lane and a team of reporters that do the
work.
Do
you surf? If so, what and where?
Confession. No but have taken some lessons which
were great at Byron Bay
Surf School. Bronte Sydney, NSW, where
I live.
How
many website visitors do you receive?
100,000 unique users per month. 1 million page
impressions. (Red Sheriff).
What
motivates you?
To
make this concept succeed, there are to many people
who don't see value in the internet, and what
it can do. Surfer community who have a need for
this info and have proven in numbers, who aren't
represented by free to air TV but by far have
a lot bigger participation rates. A person who
surfs, also plays and or watches football.
What
else would you like to tell our readers?
Watch
this space there's a lot more to come and as we
grow so will our offerings and commitment to our
community.
...end.
Profile
CoastalWatch.com
Websites
CoastalWatch.com
SurfingAustralia.com
JackMcCoy.com
Australian
Surfing Portal (Greg Tingle's surfing portal)
Coastal
Directory
Surfing
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