JK Rowling's Pottermore

[FigureSpins]

The Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Pt 2 topic aged off the front pages, so I figured I could safely start a new thread for Pottermore. I know it was discussed earlier, but it was buried by the movie's release discussions. (Rightly so!)

Pottermore is supposed to be an online exploration site with challenges and puzzles that reward you with tidbits of backstory from Jo Rowling's Harry Potter preparation. Things like Mrs. Weasley's heritage and such. The rewards are all going to be reading-focused. Best of all it's supposed to be free and well-moderated, so it's safe for people of all ages to interact.

To me, it sounds like a version of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom. The previews of Pottermore that I've seen are great.

Press site previews: http://www.pottermore.com/en/press

A quick glimpse of the introduction to Chapter 6: 'The Journey From Platform Nine and Three-Quarters'
Sneak Peek 1: http://bit.ly/kD1fEG
Sneak Peek 2: http://press.pottermore.com/preview/preview2.jpg
Sneak Peek 3: http://press.pottermore.com/preview/preview3.jpg

The site will also offer the only authorized e-books for the Harry Potter series.

I managed to find the Magic Quill and set up an ID for the beta test that starts later this summer. I fully expect to find lots of glitches and server issues since the announcements have been plagued with problems and errors. (Some are due to publishing differences among the different editions of the books around the world.)

The production launch takes place in October 2011 when the doors open to anyone.

Main Pottermore webpage: http://www.pottermore.com/

Twitter site: http://twitter.com/#!/pottermore

Pottermore Blog site: http://insider.pottermore.com/2011/08/early-access-to-pottermore-is-now.html

Just thought the Harry Potter fans here might be interested in this new venture.

[ChelleC]

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I managed to find the Magic Quill and set up an ID for the beta test that starts later this summer. I fully expect to find lots of glitches and server issues since the announcements have been plagued with problems and errors. (Some are due to publishing differences among the different editions of the books around the world.)

I managed to find the Magic Quill tonight, so looks like I'll be seeing you there.

[Satellitegirl]

I didn't even know where to look for the quill. I had checked the site a couple of times, but no clues were ever posted when I checked. I imagine they were found and then the clues taken down because so many people were trying.

[Lara]

I managed to find the Magic Quill tonight, so looks like I'll be seeing you there.

You're lucky, I went about an hour ago and the early access is over. Oh well, October it shall be and I'm more excited for the ebooks anyway.

[icewalker08]

I found Magic Quill too. Not interested in games but I like to read the new stories.

[IceAlisa]

Can you guys please post spoilers to the puzzles? I am too lazy...and my brain is fried from the work week. Pretty please?

Then again may be I should wait until they get all the bugs out.

[Jenna]

I wanted to find the magic quill but every time I checked the site, nothing came up! Oh well, I will be waiting with bated breath until October. The screen shots look very promising indeed!

[FigureSpins]

They had seven days of competition for the quills / early access. The directions were listed on the right-hand side and on their blog.

Each day, they gave a time frame as to when the next puzzle would be online at pottermore.com, like waiting for an appliance delivery.
You had to check the blog or Twitter (#pottermore) to find out the next day's time frame. When they hit their quota of registrations for that day, they closed up shop.

Each day's puzzle was based on one of the seven books, in order. Because of the time difference, the US had TWO days in one on Friday. There was a morning period for Day 6 and an evening period for Day 7.

It was always a math question, like "How many chapters are in Book 6? Multiple by 21"
Then you had to type in a different URL and add the answer to the end. The website would redirect you to another page.

When I registered, it just took me to the registration page, but my niece and sister were redirected to Scholastic or Warner Bros. Parseltongue Translator page. On those pages, the magic quill was in the banner ad at the top. Once you clicked on it, it took you to the registration page. Entering the birthdate was a PITA, esp. on a cell phone. I had my sister stop scrolling down the list in the 1960's because it was painful. She thanked me for making her 10 years younger. (It's just to separate the kiddies from the adults, internet-security wise.)

Given the rough starts and stops the entire Pottermore experience has had so far, you'll probably encounter problems and outages during the beta period anyway. If you don't have patience, you're better off waiting for October. (Nothing like an Aesop's Fable answer, right?)

I can't wait for them to get started. I think they'll start with only a few people, like the mugglenet/leaky cauldron crew, so they can get the word out, then allow people to access the site in groups. That way, they don't have to go live with fulll bandwidth from the start.

[michiruwater]

I never was there when it was actually up, either. It always seemed to be in the AM. For the last night I set my alarm to get up at 5 AM and see if it was there and then it happened at like 10 PM while I was still up. Meh.

[CynicElle]

I found the quill and was able to register, but I'm still waiting for my turn to test the site. (They're not letting us all in at once, darn it! ) I'm VineNox187 -- you had to choose from a list of usernames they offered you.

[FigureSpins]

I'm waiting impatiently, too.

[ChelleC]

I'm definitely impatient.

My user name is AsphodelMugwump61.

[FigureSpins]

I'm definitely impatient.

My user name is AsphodelMugwump61.

Ah! I was wondering if you were one of my nieces.

[KatieC]

Thanks for the updates. Am wondering when we might expect to see the last movie released. Pottermore looks like it will fill in some blanks.

[centerstage01]

I had a friend on another board who got in and had a few spots left, so I'm now able to get in on the fun. I can't wait to see this thing!

[Hannahclear]

I don't really have time to look around for an early spot, but I'm looking forward to joining this October when it opens to all. I didn't realize you needed a username. I'm going to have to think up something cool.

[ChelleC]

I don't really have time to look around for an early spot, but I'm looking forward to joining this October when it opens to all. I didn't realize you needed a username. I'm going to have to think up something cool.

Don't worry about thinking up a cool name, the system gives it to you.

[Theatregirl1122]

This is kind of off topic, but I couldn't think of a better place to ask.

Has anyone seen the Harry Potter exhibition in NYC and, if so, how long did it take you to see it?

[FigureSpins]

I don't know, but I hope they take the show on the road. Our local IMAX/Children's Museum went all out, decorating their lobby for HP. Even the restrooms received new signage. I'd love to see them bring the exhibit here.

The girls and I received our "please stand by" messages from Pottermore. They're opening the doors for the beta testers in batches between mid-August and the end of September. Twitter users are counting down the hours, assuming they're in the first batch, because the 15th=mid-august.

[star_gazer11]

Has anyone seen the Harry Potter exhibition in NYC and, if so, how long did it take you to see it?

Yes. They recommend you allow two hours. Since I got there about two hours before closing, I'd say that was fairly accurate, including gift shop time. The souvenir photos are but since I won't be getting to Florida anytime soon, I got one. You can choose between you photoshopped into the Great Hall or with Hogwarts grounds behind you; or both for double the price.