Pottermore, Twilight Time Capsule and TheCapitolPN

In light of the Hunger Games movie and the official Pottermore launch (more on that this April), today's post will compare the official viral fansites of this generation's largest fandoms: Harry Potter, Twilight and The Hunger Games.

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 The site also features up to 18,000 words of unpublished information on the book's characters, places, items and events.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

Looking for love? Get on Warcraft!

In one of my earliest blog posts, I talked about how WoW is the perfect example of an effective online community. Turns out, it's an effective online dating site as well!

A recent study by Online University shows that World of Warcraft may be more effective than eHarmony or Match.com in finding your potential mate.

Created by: OnlineUniversity.net

It's like when two leads end up together in action movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean or The Mummy. Unlike dating sites, you meet through a common experience (ex. a quest or an adventure) and not a survey, which tells you a lot more about each other than a list of characteristics you wrote yourself.

Much like "real life", two people don't necessarily have to share the same interests to make a good couple (something that most dating sites rely on when finding a match). What's important is that they trust and understand each other, have common goals, and work well as a team -- and aren't these what makes successful WoW players?

xoxo
Mae

Quality > Quantity when it comes to Social Media

Social media marketing does NOT mean joining every social media channel out there. Too often, I have seen brands that use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, Flickr and whatever else they can get their hands on.

Here's what happens when brands have too many accounts:

1. Inactive accounts, because they didn't actually prepare content for that specific platform (ex. an empty Pinterest board) or because they realized it wasn't right for their target market (ex. Flickr for a bank).
2. Copy-pasted content because they wanted to have a "strong online presence" but couldn't decide where to put what (ex. synching Facebook and Twitter accounts, uploading the same video on Facebook and YouTube).

Rather than enhance your brand, this can make you seem amateur and unfocused. Plus, it's highly unlikely that your consumers will visit each and every one of these pages. Chances are they'll engage with just 2-3.

Therefore, it's important to choose the platforms that best suit your brand strategy, available resources and target market. Make sure each platform has a unique, specific and valuable role to play. Not only is it less confusing (for you and your consumers), it is less time-consuming, more effective and more cost-efficient as well.

xoxo
Mae

Shave Time. Shave Money. Shave the Gimmicks.

Enter the latest viral video to hit the web! This time, it's an ad for a start-up company called the Dollar Shave Club, which just launched 2 weeks ago.

The Proposition: For a monthly fee of $1, the Dollar Shave Club will mail you a basic razor and five twin-blade heads every month. And guess what. Their blades are not just good -- they're F***ing Great!

As of today, the video has 3.6 million YouTube views and shows no signs of slowing down. Consumers and marketers can't help but praise the ad's simple, clear, cost-efficient yet effective communication strategy. 

"If everyone else made commercials like this I would buy everything." 

"I have decided to write to every single company to make commercials like this one."

"Great humor, I wish there was more advertisements like this..."

Hailed by many as "the new Old Spice", the success of the ad tells us at least one thing about today's consumers. You don't need money, celebrities or special effects to make a good ad. These days, all we really want are creativity, straightforwardness and a bit of good-natured humor.

Men, what do you think? Will you be signing up?

xoxo
Mae

Related links:
The Dollar Shave Club’s pitch is smooth, and razor sharp
Lessons In Razor's-Edge Creativity From The Dollar Shave Club
What Dollar Shave Club can Teach You About Making a Video for Your Startup

Time to Unfollow (you on Twitter)!

We've all done it -- "de-clutter" our Twitter feed by going through the list of friends/celebs/websites/brands/etc we follow and click Unfollow - click Unfollow - click Unfollow!

What atrocities could you have possibly done to make people who consciously followed you renege? Here are my top 10 reasons:

1. Tweeting too much

If I can't scroll down my Twitter feed without your profile pic being in every frame, then you're Tweeting too much. I don't need a minute-by-minute play of your life. A stream of consecutive Tweets within a certain time is okay as long as there's reason behind it. For instance, @hpsecrets usually has a Harry Potter trivia theme for the day and Tweets a series of fun facts at specific time.

2. Tweeting too little

If you only Tweet once a month, chances are I'll unfollow you because what's the point?

3. Twitter is not a chat room 

This is okay:

This is NOT okay:

4. @everybody

I stopped following @KatyPerry because of this. She had one of those "I'll answer all your questions!" moments and every single one of her Tweets was a reply. I know a lot of celebrities do this, but I don't think they should ever attempt to answer ALL the questions. Just the interesting ones.

At any rate, Katy's Tweets look okay now. I think I'll re-follow her.

5. #not #everything #has #to #be #a #hashtag

It's okay to Tweet purely in hashtag every now and then. Sometimes, it's hard to find words to describe how you feel so hashtags suffice.

  

 But not all the time.

6. Spam

I like to have it for breakfast but not on my Twitter feed. Unfollow.

7. Too much self-promotion

I stopped following @ddlovato and @britneyspears because all they did was promote their latest album, concert, photoshoot, etc. Yes, I understand that celebrities use their Twitter accounts for this reason. However, there is such thing as a healthy mix and I want to know I'm following the actual celebrity, not her (or his) PR team. I find @msleamichele from Glee to be great at this.

8. Not relevant (anymore)

People's interests change. I'm currently job-hunting so I've followed a ton of Canada-based job search accounts (@FreshGigsca @Jobsprout @BestJobsInVan). Chances are, I'll unfollow them once I'm employed.

9. Too whiny

It's normal to have a complaint or two and Tweet about it. But if all your Tweets contain rants and self-pity, then I'm sorry. I go to Twitter for happiness, not for negative vibes.

10. Fake

This goes without saying. If I find out you're a robot or an imposter, you will be unfollowed. Real humans only, please.

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Now, I'm no Twitter saint. I, too, have been guilty of doing these things at least once (well, except being a robot). In fact, I'm about to do #7 right now. The main takeaway is to not overdo it. Everything in moderation :)

What are some reasons why you've Unfollowed an account?

xoxo
Mae