Pottermore v.10

[Hes]

Previous version: Pottermore v.9

PLEASE READ


What is on-topic:

Questions and information about, and analysis of, Pottermore itself

What is off-topic:

• general squeeing about Pottermore and other posts which lack substance
• whether you have registered for Pottermore yet or not (e.g. "Yay! I've just got my username and it's Snape'sUnderpants666!"). Go to the Pitchside if you want to post that sort of thing. You can put your username in your signature if you want (although there have been reports of people who'd posted their username online being hacked so you may wish to leave the final digits off as a precaution).
• how you are feeling/what you are doing at the moment (e.g. "I'm so excited! But I don't know how I'm going to stay up all night. Maybe I'll drink coffee?" Go to the Pitchside if you want to post that sort of thing
• questions or comments about CoS (e.g. "How is posting my username offtopic?", "Why has my post count gone down?") There is an Ask the Staff thread where you can post these things, or you can owl a mod.

What will get you banned (amongst other things):

• posting illegal links
• posting your e-mail address or 'phone number or asking other members for theirs
• repeatedly ignoring the above

Speculation

What is OK here:

Reasonable, fact-based speculation, where you try to piece together the possible ways Pottermore might work, on the basis of information about the site already in the public domain, and use hypothesis to try to fill in some of the gaps.

What is not OK here:

*Wild, unfounded speculation (e.g. if the HP actors joined Pottermore, what do you think their usernames would be?)
*General "It would be so cool if..'" wish lists
*Discussion that stops being about Pottermore and starts being about you (e.g. when a How Might the Pottermore Sorting System Work? discussion turns into a The Kind of Sorting System I Would Construct If It Were Up To Me discussion, it's off-topic)

Also, please respect the wishes of the Pottermore staff e.g. if you think you've worked out a way that members can rig their answers to the Pottermore sorting quiz to get the house they want, please don't share it here, as it's obvious that the Pottermore team don't want people to rig their quiz.

Please also respect the privacy of all of those connected to the HP franchise and do not spread unconfirmed rumours or speculation about who has a Pottermore account.

[Fools_Gold]

FIRST yay!

Anyways, I've temporarily given up on Pottermore, at least until my potions are sorted or duelling is back up.

[Silver_Arrow77]

Does anyone know how many students are on Pottermore now? Thanks

[Hes]

374,563 students.

Rave: 93,942 members
Huff: 94,048 members
Gryff: 93,548 members
Slyth: 93,025 members

[LumosSempra]

Originally Posted by Hes

374,563 students.

Rave: 93,942 members
Huff: 94,048 members
Gryff: 93,548 members
Slyth: 93,025 members

I can't believe we're still only at 300-some thousand members. Why is it taking so long to invite the rest of the million? According to Pottermore Insider, as of September 8th, welcome emails were to go out daily. If the site is supposedly opening in October, we're only 2 weeks away, and over half of the early-entry people are still not allowed in. Doesn't seem fair that people were promised "early entry" if early entry meant waiting until the week before everyone else is allowed to register.

[kristen423]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

I can't believe we're still only at 300-some thousand members. Why is it taking so long to invite the rest of the million? According to Pottermore Insider, as of September 8th, welcome emails were to go out daily. If the site is supposedly opening in October, we're only 2 weeks away, and over half of the early-entry people are still not allowed in. Doesn't seem fair that people were promised "early entry" if early entry meant waiting until the week before everyone else is allowed to register.

As far as welcome emails going out daily, I believe that is happening although there are some days where smaller batches go out. We can see that the population in the Great Hall has increased a lot in the past few days, which is definitely a good sign.

True, it is only 2 weeks from October, but they did not set a specific date in October. This means that it could be the 1st but it could also be the 31st. I also must agree that it is not fair if people only get in a week before it opens. It seems that more than anything we are being used to test their servers, although they definitely have made some changes (points per potion).

[hpfan101]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

I can't believe we're still only at 300-some thousand members. Why is it taking so long to invite the rest of the million? According to Pottermore Insider, as of September 8th, welcome emails were to go out daily. If the site is supposedly opening in October, we're only 2 weeks away, and over half of the early-entry people are still not allowed in. Doesn't seem fair that people were promised "early entry" if early entry meant waiting until the week before everyone else is allowed to register.

Yeah, I've noticed that too. I still have a family member waiting to get in (day 3 registration). They haven't even let half of the million in! I can't believe how lucky we all are to already be in.

I'm also concerned that dueling is STILL down. I've been in for a month now and it's been down since I've been in (with a few times being up for a few hours here or there...but I've always missed them). That seems like a LONG time for one of the only ways to gain points to be down.

[ardnaxela]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

I can't believe we're still only at 300-some thousand members. Why is it taking so long to invite the rest of the million? According to Pottermore Insider, as of September 8th, welcome emails were to go out daily. If the site is supposedly opening in October, we're only 2 weeks away, and over half of the early-entry people are still not allowed in. Doesn't seem fair that people were promised "early entry" if early entry meant waiting until the week before everyone else is allowed to register.

In fairness to the Pottermore team, this is beta access - not early access. Meaning that we are there to help them basically. They also said that people would gain entry to the beta any time from when the first emails went out until the opening of the site for everyone - that is, some beta registers could gain access the day before it opens to the public. They have been up front about this from the start. Similarly, we have to expect there to be glitches and outages. A part of beta access is to make sure the site runs smoothly from when it opens to the public.

In regards to the actual site:

Spoiler: show

I feel like a really bad fan, but is there anyone else out there like me who hasn't actually accessed the site that much? Don't get me wrong, I love it. I thought the information was wonderful, I loved the quizzes and the illustrations are simply beautiful. But being a single mum with a toddler I don't have the time for potions or practising spells (or the patience) so now I'm really just hanging out until the release of CoS. I have been on again a couple of times just to check out the illustrations and have another read through the stuff.

However, I am worried about how the site will achieve it's objective of gaining new fanbases for the series. I imagine - now this of course is my opinion and I am sure many people will disagree - that the site will become boring for anyone other than diehard fans, and non-diehards who sign up come October will only have a quick browse and will have forgotten about it by the time the rest of the series is released.

I don't want people to take this post the wrong way and think I am disappointed in the site - because I am certainly not. I had figured from the start what the site would entail and knew that once I had got through the new information that I probably wouldn't spend hours on end there because the games don't interest me (which is clearly not the case with a lot of people ) However, I am more wondering how successful the site will be with it's objective of reeling in new fans

[kristen423]

Originally Posted by ardnaxela

In regards to the actual site:

Spoiler: show

I feel like a really bad fan, but is there anyone else out there like me who hasn't actually accessed the site that much? Don't get me wrong, I love it. I thought the information was wonderful, I loved the quizzes and the illustrations are simply beautiful. But being a single mum with a toddler I don't have the time for potions or practising spells (or the patience) so now I'm really just hanging out until the release of CoS. I have been on again a couple of times just to check out the illustrations and have another read through the stuff.

However, I am worried about how the site will achieve it's objective of gaining new fanbases for the series. I imagine - now this of course is my opinion and I am sure many people will disagree - that the site will become boring for anyone other than diehard fans, and non-diehards who sign up come October will only have a quick browse and will have forgotten about it by the time the rest of the series is released.

I don't want people to take this post the wrong way and think I am disappointed in the site - because I am certainly not. I had figured from the start what the site would entail and knew that once I had got through the new information that I probably wouldn't spend hours on end there because the games don't interest me (which is clearly not the case with a lot of people ) However, I am more wondering how successful the site will be with it's objective of reeling in new fans

You make a good point.

Spoiler: show

Unless they add more to the site, specifically things to keep us busy between books, it is very likely that people are going to stick around. And after DH is released, what's to stop even a bunch of diehards from leaving. Long story short, they need more for us to do. I don't brew potions as often as I could but when I do I have to plan it out, because of the long brewing time. I would like to be able to do stuff on Pottermore without having to plan things in the real world around it (although Potions make a great short break from homework).

[LumosSempra]

Originally Posted by ardnaxela

In fairness to the Pottermore team, this is beta access - not early access.

If I recall correctly, the whole thing was being advertised as "early entry" from the start. But that's just me being nitpicky. They probably were just trying to hype it up as much as possible.

Originally Posted by ardnaxela

In regards to the actual site:

Spoiler: show

I feel like a really bad fan, but is there anyone else out there like me who hasn't actually accessed the site that much? Don't get me wrong, I love it. I thought the information was wonderful, I loved the quizzes and the illustrations are simply beautiful. But being a single mum with a toddler I don't have the time for potions or practising spells (or the patience) so now I'm really just hanging out until the release of CoS. I have been on again a couple of times just to check out the illustrations and have another read through the stuff.

However, I am worried about how the site will achieve it's objective of gaining new fanbases for the series. I imagine - now this of course is my opinion and I am sure many people will disagree - that the site will become boring for anyone other than diehard fans, and non-diehards who sign up come October will only have a quick browse and will have forgotten about it by the time the rest of the series is released.

I don't want people to take this post the wrong way and think I am disappointed in the site - because I am certainly not. I had figured from the start what the site would entail and knew that once I had got through the new information that I probably wouldn't spend hours on end there because the games don't interest me (which is clearly not the case with a lot of people ) However, I am more wondering how successful the site will be with it's objective of reeling in new fans

Spoiler: show

I completely agree, I feel exactly the same way. I was completely obsessed with it when I first got in, but once I got through the first book, I sort of lost interest. I don't really have time to log on and brew a potion for over an hour, so I haven't tried that part yet (also, if I end up planning my life around potion-brewing, all my friends will think me a total loser. Haha). And seeing as dueling is down, I haven't had a chance to try that either. So I'm fearful that once I get through all of the new material for the series, I'll no longer want to be involved as much in the website. And I consider myself a pretty die-hard fan, so I don't know how much interest the site is going to be able to maintain once they get through the series, unless they find other ways to keep everyone involved.

[HallowSword210]

Originally Posted by Hes

374,563 students.

Rave: 93,942 members
Huff: 94,048 members
Gryff: 93,548 members
Slyth: 93,025 members

Does anyone else suspect the sorting to be random? These numbers are just way too convenient. Sorry if this has already been discussed in a previous Pottermore thread.

[Daggerstone]

I've been thinking...

Spoiler: show

What if, at some point in undefined future when more books are added, we wish to re-live the whole experience? Will there be a "reset account" option, or will we be forced to delete the old and make a new one?

I actually enjoy the Potions game, but even I'm getting bored doing the same thing over and over again. And even once the dueling is up.... there's only so many times you can cast Petrificus Totalus before it becomes mind-numbingly boring.

[CharmedMom]

Originally Posted by kristen423

You make a good point.

Spoiler: show

Unless they add more to the site, specifically things to keep us busy between books, it is very likely that people are going to stick around. And after DH is released, what's to stop even a bunch of diehards from leaving. Long story short, they need more for us to do. I don't brew potions as often as I could but when I do I have to plan it out, because of the long brewing time. I would like to be able to do stuff on Pottermore without having to plan things in the real world around it (although Potions make a great short break from homework).

I agree with you to some extent. From my perspective, it is exactly what they advertised. But, I do hope they grow from here.

Spoiler: show

I do agree that there is little to do once you finish the book. I attempted potions frequently. They kept failing because of glitches... which I accepted due to this being beta testing. Now I do them when I feel like it. I do want to try dueling if they get it back. But, this won't be enough to bring me back indefinitely. They will probably bring the next books around faster than expected. Maybe these will add additional things to do. I think it is currently at a great starting point.

[TheScribbler]

Originally Posted by LumosSempra

I can't believe we're still only at 300-some thousand members. Why is it taking so long to invite the rest of the million? According to Pottermore Insider, as of September 8th, welcome emails were to go out daily. If the site is supposedly opening in October, we're only 2 weeks away, and over half of the early-entry people are still not allowed in. Doesn't seem fair that people were promised "early entry" if early entry meant waiting until the week before everyone else is allowed to register.

I agree that it's weird how few people have gotten in. I expected at least 60% of those that registered would've gotten the email by now; but then again, there might be new glitches or bugs that they had to smooth out, hence the delay.
Plus, I always got the impression that when they said October, they meant October 31st. It makes sense in terms of the books and everything, and it kind of answers the question of 'why are there so few students?'.

[CharmedMom]

Originally Posted by HallowSword210

Does anyone else suspect the sorting to be random? These numbers are just way too convenient. Sorry if this has already been discussed in a previous Pottermore thread.

I watched my 2 daughters' answers during their sorting. They did have a similar flow to them and they both went to Slytherin. (My youngest tried to go "back" to redo it but I convinced her Slytherins are cool and not all evil!) They were done about 30 minutes apart, I think. I got entry first about a week ago and was sorted into Ravenclaw, which is also my CoS house. But who knows. The numbers do seem to be rather even!

[SadiraSnape]

Sorting:

Spoiler: show

I don't think it's totally random, because there are consistently much fewer members of Slytherin than the other three houses. 500 more in Gryffindor, 900 more in Ravenclaw, and 1000 more in Hufflepuff. That's 2500 more (roughly) people distributed over the other 3 houses than Slytherin. If it were random, I'd expect less variation than that.

The site:

Spoiler: show

I'm really hoping they develop more activities, or put new stuff in the "moments" for you to find and collect -- right now all I'm doing is Potions (which I do love!), but the lengthy brewing times are a bit off-putting. Perhaps if duelling was up, but then I'm not much of a competitor that way, so I don't know if I'd bother with it. But yeah, they do need to amp it up some if they want people to keep coming after going through the chapters the first time.

Usernames:

Spoiler: show

SnapesUnderpants666? Really?

[BrianTung]

Originally Posted by ardnaxela

In regards to the actual site:

Spoiler: show

However, I am worried about how the site will achieve it's objective of gaining new fanbases for the series. I imagine - now this of course is my opinion and I am sure many people will disagree - that the site will become boring for anyone other than diehard fans, and non-diehards who sign up come October will only have a quick browse and will have forgotten about it by the time the rest of the series is released.

I'm sorry, was that the site's objective? I think it might happen, especially as Pottermore advances through the following books, but I thought it was primarily just a way for Rowling to give back to her fans--meaning, her existing fans, principally.

The site, as it currently is, can only be sufficient to grab a foothold for future involvement. I like it quite a bit, but I'm a bit of a "redoer"--I rewatch movies, I reread books, and I replay games--and I'm probably not the best person to evaluate it on a subjective level. But even someone like me recognizes that it simply won't sustain most people's attention for very long in its present state. Dueling will help...but probably not for months and months.

An improved commenting system would help. Any one of the following enhancements would make it usable:

1. Threaded comments
2. Vastly improved moderation (seconds instead of days)
3. Ability to search for @names or #hashtags
4. Appearance of your own actions or comments in any restriction to "Friends"
5. Personal (but public, not private) comment space

There are probably other measures that would help, but that's a start.

It would also help if they would let our drawings show up. It's weird, since they said, in one of the Insider posts, that users could submit artwork. Meaning it wasn't a feature they were working on, or were considering scrapping altogether. I mean, frankly, it's a bit weird. No wonder some folks think it's limiting.

Originally Posted by SadiraSnape

Sorting:

Spoiler: show

I don't think it's totally random, because there are consistently much fewer members of Slytherin than the other three houses. 500 more in Gryffindor, 900 more in Ravenclaw, and 1000 more in Hufflepuff. That's 2500 more (roughly) people distributed over the other 3 houses than Slytherin. If it were random, I'd expect less variation than that.

"Random" needn't mean "uniformly distributed." Something that assigns 22 percent to Slytherin, say, and 26 percent to the other three houses, is still random if it assigns people to houses without regard to how they answered the questions. However, I don't think it is random in that sense, either, despite a few odd Sortings.

[threecats]

Originally Posted by BrianTung

... It would also help if they would let our drawings show up. It's weird, since they said, in one of the Insider posts, that users could submit artwork. Meaning it wasn't a feature they were working on, or were considering scrapping altogether. I mean, frankly, it's a bit weird. No wonder some folks think it's limiting. ...

I have seen some artwork that was uploaded by users. Well, at least I assumed they were regular users.

Spoiler: show

There are portraits for Ginny, Percy, Draco, the Bloody Baron and Professors Flitwick and Quirrell in their respective character pages. They also show up on the overview, if you add them to your favorites.

[WildFloo162]

Gosh darnit. Just waited a million hours for a potion to brew in the first step to once again have Pottermore not register my stirring motions, thus wasting my time. I really think I'm done until the site is open for all which will hopefully mean it works. I'm beyond annoyed. I get that it's a beta, and there will be bugs, but how long has Dueling been down? How long has potions been messed up for people? I mean come on. I stirred backwards as the time was ticking down, just to see if that would register. Yup it sure would. SO you'll register the wrong motion but not the right one? Ugh.

[MerryLore]

Originally Posted by threecats

Spoiler: show

There are portraits for Ginny, Percy, Draco, the Bloody Baron and Professors Flitwick and Quirrell in their respective character pages. They also show up on the overview, if you add them to your favorites.

Spoiler: show

There previously had been drawings for Dumbledore and Snape as well, but they've all be removed. No clue why.

Originally Posted by SadiraSnape

Sorting:

Spoiler: show

I don't think it's totally random, because there are consistently much fewer members of Slytherin than the other three houses. 500 more in Gryffindor, 900 more in Ravenclaw, and 1000 more in Hufflepuff. That's 2500 more (roughly) people distributed over the other 3 houses than Slytherin. If it were random, I'd expect less variation than that.

Spoiler: show

If it were random, I'd be a Gryffindor, you'd be a Hufflepuff......etc.....

Originally Posted by WildFloo162

Gosh darnit. Just waited a million hours for a potion to brew in the first step to once again have Pottermore not register my stirring motions, thus wasting my time.

Maybe this will help:

Spoiler: show

Start where the stir stick is, but use your mouse to follow the rim of the cauldron. The rim is a circle. Ignore the stick - it only goes backwards and forwards.