Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The SoCal forecast blog and the future



First off I wanted to give a huge thanks to you guys for the support...a lot of you have sent some amazing emails (so many that I haven’t had a chance to respond to them all)...and to be honest it is a little overwhelming. I am so stoked...this is really a reminder why I love doing the forecasts and the blog.

Ok that is enough talking about my feelings...let’s get down to some thoughts on the future of the forecast. But before we get too deep I want to make a few things clear.

1. The SoCal Forecast that I post on this blog will continue.
2. I would like to grow the site into something even more useful.
3. I want it to be free.


I first started this forecast blog about 2 years ago with a couple of ideas in mind...I wanted to be able to create a surf forecast that was accurate, fun to read, and still contained enough detail for everyone (from beginners to seasoned vets) to get a few waves when the swells arrive. With your guys’ help I think I have done a decent job.

I think I can do better...there is still a lot of stuff that I think that the site can offer. More tools, more details I want to be able to dial in the forecasts to a County-level. I would love to set up a few “quality” morning surf reports for the most popular spots (not at the “secret” or crowd-sensitive breaks).

When you get right down to it...I guess I really want to create a solid resource for Southern California Surfers, and not just from a forecast standpoint but from a surf-community standpoint. I know it sounds a little cheesy, but surfing is supposed to be fun, and I want to make a cool site where we can all have a little more fun.

In a perfect world I would love to make this website a full-time job. Unfortunately it isn’t quite there yet...it makes a little revenue from the google ads, (thanks for the clicks by the way), but the site doesn’t quite have the traffic to make it on advertising alone, particularly if I want to grow the site.

I am not going to go the subscription route...you guys shouldn’t have to pay for a surf forecast...especially when everyone’s wallets are taking a hit.

I am going to throw a “tip jar” on the site...it will be the Paypal donate button over on the right-hand side of the page. Or if you are getting this post in a email you can click this link.

Click Here to donate

By no means am I expecting anyone to donate anything...the site will continue along as usual...but if you dig the forecasts and/or you are interested in growing the site feel free to help out.

Also I am working on getting some swag put together (Hats, Stickers, T-shirts, crap like that)...if anyone donates more than $30 I will make sure that you get a fun-pack of stuff.

Thanks again for all the kind words, emails, and support over the years!

Cheers!

Adam

Adam Wright
Surf Forecaster
Socalsurf.com

7 comments:

paul.fjeldsted said...

Thanks for keeping the website... This is by far the greatest forecast resource I've found for socal anywhere on the web. As soon as I'm a rich man, I'll send some big time cash your way

Alex said...

This site is the only one worth checking when it comes to Socal forecasting...So happy you are maintaining it!

pranaglider said...

good luck!

Anonymous said...

Hi Adam,
Thanks again.
One thing I hate aabout surfwhine and wavebiatch is that the surf reports are to specific.
I.E. north side south side or even the pier is too much,just saying HB would be much cooler and cooler to local surfers then having a north side is going off three peaks from the pier and the subbsequent internet crown of non-local faces, carpooling down, setting thier watches and paddling out simultaneously and then dropping in on the locals because they are not involved, in their practice heat.
Kind of ranting, sorry.
Coconutz!

Ian said...

No, don't change a thing! Love it like it is

Unknown said...

Thanks for keeping the site going, by far the best forecast out there...F the machines!!

Anonymous said...

Dude, I totally agree with Ian. If you never changed a thing on the website I would be very stoked!