Pottermore to relaunch

[fjtorres]

From THE BOOKSELLER:

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/po...elaunch-312036

Jurevics said the changes had been driven by identifying the core users of the site, how technology had developed since its original launch (in April 2012), and the need to reflect that the Harry Potter universe is no longer confined to the original seven books. A stage play is currently under development, and the first of three new films, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, is to be released next year.

Jurevics said Pottermore also needed to give author J K Rowling a more accessible platform on which to showcase her new writing about the world. The relaunched site will feature a new logo, written in Rowling’s own handwriting (pictured).

Jurevics told The Bookseller: “When Pottermore first started, it was positioned for the next generation of readers, and that next generation was almost by default tagged to be children. So the current site gamified the content, making it very simplistic in terms of collecting things and casting spells. That was appropriate for children, but that wasn’t actually the core audience.” Jurevics said that the user base was “overwhelmingly young adult and female”, something she discovered “pretty quickly” once she joined the firm in October 2013 from Sony, where she was senior vice-president, responsible for the company’s marketing.

The relaunch also reflected technological advancements in the way users now access content sites, Jurevics said: “From a technology point of view, when Pottermore was designed and conceived the iPad had not yet been launched, and the population didn’t yet sleep with their phones on. The current Pottermore is really a laptop or desktop experience and that type of usage is going away.”The new site will be smartphone-first to reflect this “fundamental change in user behaviour”, with content designed for touchscreens and swiping.

More at the source.

[ProfCrash]

Please tell me that your user name is something you pick that makes sense. I never log in because I cannot remember my freaking user name since it assigned something ridiculous

[JSWolf]

The the link to this article was left out.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The the link to this article was left out.

oopsie. I accidentally cut-n-pasted with invisible ink.

[Ravensknight]

"Pottermore to relaunch"

Did it sink the first time?

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Ravensknight

"Pottermore to relaunch"

Did it sink the first time?

To an extent.
It launched to great fanfare and high initial traffic but that dropped steadily and it has more recently been loitering at lower traffic levels than other content sites.

As the article cites, the focus on younger readers and game-like features was ill-conceived as the core audience has been people who grew up with the Potter books, not their younger siblings or children.

Recasting it as a more conventional author site will probably serve Rowling's fan base better.

[septentrion]

This must explain why the Deathly Hallows part of the site seemed so thin.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

To an extent.
It launched to great fanfare and high initial traffic but that dropped steadily and it has more recently been loitering at lower traffic levels than other content sites.

As the article cites, the focus on younger readers and game-like features was ill-conceived as the core audience has been people who grew up with the Potter books, not their younger siblings or children.

Recasting it as a more conventional author site will probably serve Rowling's fan base better.

Yep. Went to the B&N for the release of the last four Harry Potter books. There were a lot more older teens and young adults than kids there, many of whom were dressed up as their favorite wizard or witch. The most active part of the Potter fanbase was always older.

While the Harry Potter books were being written, there was a very robust fan base that was active on the various fan web boards. I would assume that she's trying to capture some of that feeling, especially if, as rumors say, she's writing new stories in the Potter universe.

[DuckieTigger]

To an extent it is a generation X problem, or baby boomers. The young kids that got hooked early on are mostly now older teens or adults now. But that is only part of the core fanbase. Another (probably much bigger) part is adults that got hooked to the series. They are still adults now. Pottermore needs to be attractive to adults - and to keep them coming back to Pottermore it needs to stop being an endless repetitive hidden object game that you need to play to unlock the content.

[Ksquared]

I started reading "Sorcerer's Stone" when it was released in the U.S. - I was probably about 40. We listened to the recorded book when my son was old enough to understand it, and that kicked off a love of reading for him (but we always listened to the wonderful recordings too!) As an adult, I enjoyed the whole series, and have re-read them as e-books. I would say these books have a broad appeal, and are not just children or young adult books.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Ksquared

I would say these books have a broad appeal, and are not just children or young adult books.

And that's precisely the problem: the books do indeed appeal to a broad demographic, but the Pottermore site was aimed at young children. I looked at it briefly, but it held no interest to me as an adult.

[ProfCrash]

The site was so focused on little kids that the registration process did not allow people to choose their own handles. It was more then a bit ridiculous. I am looking forward to seeing the new site and hope that it works better.

[kyteflyer]

I started reading the Potter books when I was in my 50s... and I still enjoy reading them over and over. I get more out of them each time. Pottermore was completely boring to me. It sounded good when it started but once inside... meh. I may check out the new site, but probably won't bother.

As an aside, has anyone else read G. Norman Lippert's James Potter series. It was quite good. Not Rowling, but definitely worth the time, I think.

[ProfCrash]

I am enjoying the new site. It is far easier to navigate and I can more easily find the articles of interest.

The original site was worthless. After it first opened, I tried to buy a book but was never able to complete the process. I finally gave up and promptly forgot my login and password. I figure if she is too cheap to sell her books through other stores then to heck with it. Plenty of other stuff to read!