Old Media meets New Media: Pottermore.com

I should declare, before I start, that this is not a neutral review - I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter books. When J K Rowling announced that she was releasing a website full of extra material and interactive games for her fans, called Pottermore, well I was there pressing refresh for hours on end for a chance to get early access:

an over-excited tweet when I was accepted into the beta site

I usually equate the idea of a website to accompany a book a bit like having extras at the end of a DVD, usually there's a 'making of' and some trailers but not a lot more. With new books there is often a computer game, and maybe a fansite but nothing joined-up. Pottermore, I think, breaks the mould by doing so much more than just providing a few extra details about the author, this is a new world combining audience participation, gaming and story-telling:

shopping activity unlocked when you discover Diagon Alley

• The story unfolds linearly in beautifully drawn images for each scene which you can delve into, clicking to unlock secrets.
• The extra content (written by J K Rowling) requires exploration of each scene.
• Nearly everything on Pottermore is commentable, and there are a lot of comments.
• It borrows the Facebook 'Like' model, as you explore the site you can 'like' or 'add to favourites' each character and location.
• Players unlock features as the story progresses in a game-like way, and by being sorted into houses you are immediately given a strong sense of belonging and team spirit.
• The interactions make sense and follow the story giving you realised expectations (like when you know you're about to see the Sorting Hat for the first time).
• Players can challenge each other in spell duels.
• Everything you do rewards (or penalises) you with House Points.

When asked about the site, J K said:

"It's amazing for me to be creative in this medium, which didn't exist back in 1990,"
J K Rowling in The Guardian, June 23 2011

Quill icon letting you know there is new
content to be unlocked in the accompanying image

The cynical will argue the site is just a vehicle by which to increase sales of the eBook version, unusually not available through the usual channels. However I am not a cynic and am delighted to see this sort of development. I think the site shows real potential to augment traditional media in exciting new ways and look forward to seeing what comes next. Off now to work on my potions...

Pottermore.com is free, but is currently in Beta and access is limited. It is expected to go live in October 2011.