Pottermore
http://www.pottermore.com/
Overview
Pottermore is an interactive, illustrated companion to the Harry Potter books. The site is divided into chapters from the books, which users must unlock in chronological order.
Within each chapter, users can interact with key story "Moments" (such as buying a wand and getting Sorted), upload comments/artworks, or collect items which can be used later in the game. The site also features up to 18,000 words of unpublished information on the book's characters, places, items and events.
Students can earn House Points by successfully brewing a potion, winning a duel, collecting items or unlocking information.
Objective
To enhance the readers' experience by allowing them to interact with story elements and to gain more knowledge about the Wizarding World.
Current Status
The site received positive reviews during its beta period (mid-August to present) due to its beautiful artwork and exclusive content by J.K. Rowling. However, several problems pushed the official launch from October 2011 to April 2012.
Twilight Time Capsule
http://www.twilighttimecapsule.com/
Overview
Twilight Time Capsule is a user-generated online community that allows fans to commemorate and share Twilight memories with each other. Fans are encouraged to upload their own photos, videos and comments alongside the official posters and trailers in a timeline-like navigation bar.
Users can filter through thousands of content by source (fan vs. official), upload type (comment, image or video), movie, book character, etc. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Photobucket, MySpace and Instagram are also provided so fans can share them with other social networking sites.
Objective
To provide a single platform for fans to express their love for Twilight by sharing and reliving their favorite Twilight memories.
Current Status
The site is currently active and continues to gain traffic, with the final movie slated for release this November. It has been praised for being "the ultimate fan destination" and a great example on how to capitalize on a fandom's passion through social media.
TheCapitol.PN
http://thecapitol.pn
Overview
At present, TheCapitolPN allows users to be placed in a District, get a District Identification Pass and get other fans excited by sharing their passes on various social networks.
Other site features include movie reviews, District Tribute profiles, Capitol updates, movie screenshots and District information such as registered citizens per District, tracker jacker incidents, etc.
The site also acts as a portal to all the official Hunger Games social networking sites, website and the Capitol Couture microsite.
Objective
To get fans excited for the upcoming movies by inviting them to be a part of Panem and spreading the word through social media.
Current Status
Since its launch last fall, the site has gone viral with over 50,000 Facebook participants to date. As more features are slowly being released (Capitol Couture just launched in January), fans believe there can only be more to come. We'll see!
My Verdict
Note: I think it's too early to fairly assess TheCapitolPN, so we'll leave it out of this debate for now.
In terms of uniqueness and design, Pottermore wins. Although Twilight Time Capsule's timeline navigation is one of the firsts, user-generated fan pages are not unheard of these days. Pottermore's concept is truly unique, which is probably why it's so hard to explain to non-users.
However, looking at sustainability, TTC takes the crown. The problem with Pottermore is there is very little incentive to return once you've unlocked all the chapters and read the new information. If the Twilight fandom is as strong as it appears, then TTC will never have this problem. Even when the movies come to an end, loyal fans will continue to generate content, just as they still do for Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes and other literature that we love.
Check out these sites and let me know what you think! :)
xoxo
Mae
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