Redesign:

You’ve probably noticed things are looking a little different around here. While I’ll be making a few more tweeks over the next few days, shoot me a note if you notice something’s not quite working right (or leave a comment).

The redesign is all about bringing the site up-to-date with the latest in technology and apps, but also to speed things up behind the scenes for when I’m on the reef later in the year. Which brings me to…

Big Season Plans for 2015:

As always as we edge closer to the big marlin season, I’m starting to contemplate what I’m going to do this year to make things better in terms of keeping you up-to-date with the very best of marlin fishing on the reef.

This year I’m putting it out there to hear what you’d like to see?

In the past I’ve tried things such as live blogging (remember when I live blogged the Lizard Island tournament in 2011 and we broke my web server? Too much traffic! But you’ve probably also noticed I’ve since upgraded my hosting!)

Ever since I’ve relied on Twitter to broadcast each fish and I think it works well.

But 140 text characters is little boring when it comes to big marlin fishing and outside the tournament, it falls a bit more to the way-side.

This year I am planning to rely on Instagram for some more visual and regular updates as we fish and I’m also going to try integrating the Periscope platform when the internet allows. The internet is a fickle creature on the GBR so this might be restricted to dockside updates, interviews on the wharf with captains fresh back in from a day’s fishing, rather than as-it-happens action.

(For those of you who don’t know Periscope, its a live mobile video streaming application by the makers of Twitter – so you can get started as a user with a twitter account, although you don’t need an account to watch the video streams.  How it works is that when a stream is active, all your followers are notified so that they can come in on the broadcast live and watch right along with you. And the stream stays active for 24hours so you can check in and watch it again and again over the next 24hours.

If this sounds like you, you can follow Black Marlin Blog on Twitter and therefore, Periscope, here.

But Instagram and Periscope aside, what would you like to see?  Send me a note, an email, a FB message, a Tweet, at text (0434520343) – I’ve love to hear from you!

By the way…. for YEARS we have tossed around live video streaming from the reef and while Periscope might be getting us closer, I would love to hear from you if you are a technology hack and think you know some way to do it! I know that much of our time on the reef is spent on the cusp of internet service (mobile service). Like the 30 odd skippers who regularly fish the reef, I know how hard it is to stay in contact with everyone back on land.

Many many mornings I am literally tearing my hair out just to get the blog uploaded and onto your screens, so if you have a technology hack for me, get in touch!