The age of Fandom viral sites, and why ‘Potter’ should copy ‘Twilight’

Over the past few months there have been three websites which launched to much fanfare within their respective fandoms. Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Twilight all have a site created by the legal owners, and they are each viral in their own way. But is one better than the other two? And which is best for its respective fandom? Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling was first out of the gate with Pottermore a few months ago (though technically it still hasn’t officially launched). The site is a place for fans to go to be sorted, read new content from Jo, and interact in limited ways with fellow Pottermore users. Next came Lionsgate with TheCapitol.pn for The Hunger Games fans. The site allows you to be placed in a District and receive a District Identification Pass. You’re then encouraged to share the pass on your social media networks. Not much else is offered presently. Most recently was Summit’s Twilight Time Capsule which allows fans to upload photos, video, and text from a particular time in Twilight history. You can then scroll through all the user-submitted content in an interactive interface. While it looks nice, there are some modifications that should be made so it’s easier to browse the content. http://www.hypable.com/column/andrews-take/2011/10/17/the-age-of-fandom-viral-sites-and-why-potter-should-copy-twilight/