Katie Newlin English 425- Writing for New Media Professor Mark Mabrito September 3, 2013
A knowledge community is a group of people who share an interest. These people come together to share information and ideas and keep up with news and events.
‘Potterhead’ is the term used to refer to a Harry Potter fan. The seven books published by JK Rowling have become a huge success leading not only to a large, devoted fanbase but also to eight movies, a theme park, and video games. There are countless websites devoted to the Harry Potter series and the characters Jo has created. Potterheads are one of the biggest ‘fandoms’ around today and the information you can find on the series is seemingly endless.
One of the things that Potterheads tend to take very seriously is the Sorting. There are four houses in the Harry Potter world and fans often take their sorting and their house very seriously. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends.
One of the most exciting places to find the Harry Potter community is on Pottermore.com. This is an interactive website that allows fans to share their stories about the story that started it all. Pottermore.com Hear what author JK Rowling has to say about the site here.here
There are official websites: J.K. Rowling Official Site J.K. Rowling Official Site Scholastic Scholastic Warner Bros. Warner Bros. As wells as unofficial sites: HP Companion HP Companion Ultimate Harry Potter Ultimate Harry Potter Potter Talk Potter Talk MuggleNet MuggleNet The Leaky Cauldron The Leaky Cauldron Snitchseeker Snitchseeker There are a seemingly endless number of websites where the Harry Potter knowledge community can be found.
Forums are an important part of what makes Potterheads a knowledge community. This is one of the main places discussion and information exchange take place.
There are numerous social media accounts/groups where Harry Potter can be found.
You can find many Harry Potter fans dressed up as their favorite character at conventions like Comic Con and Dragon Con. Harry Potter has such a large fan base that he now has it’s own convention. As such, Leaky Con is probably one of the most popular conventions among Harry Potter fans.Leaky Con
There are numerous other kinds of online resources for Potterheads to utilize. You can play RPGs (role-play games), you can check out podcasts, you can play games, and take quizzes- the possibilities are endless.
It can be difficult in knowledge communities to know if the information you are being given is fact- or canon, as it’s called- or someone’s made up opinion. The two most popular ‘fact-checkers’ are the HP Lexicon and the HP Wiki. Pottermore has also become a place where canon information can be found as it expands and grows. There are numerous other online encyclopedias that people use.HP Lexicon HP Wiki
Harry Potter is arguably one of the most popular, well-known franchises in the world today. With 7 books, 8 movies, 8 video games, a theme park, and loads of merchandise available for retail, Harry Potter has gone from an idea that JK Rowling came up with on the train to a worldwide phenomenon.
No one thought when that first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone here in the US) came out it would become so big.
The books were made into 8 movies with the last book split in two.
Harry Potter is so well-known and has such a large fan base that it is a pretty common practice to find references to it in television shows. Some such shows are Doctor Who, Supernatural, Buffy, the Simpsons, House, and Lost.
Competitors for the series are probably other book series such as Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the like.
A Very Potter Musical- the first of three parody musicals performed by Team Starkid, a theater group from Michigan State A Very Potter Musical Wizard Rock (Wrock)- a genre created in the early 2000’s Wizard Rock (Wrock) The HPA- a nonprofit that educates people on today’s social issues using the Harry Potter booksThe HPA The Harry Potter Shop- the official retailer of Harry Potter merchandiseThe Harry Potter Shop The Wizarding World of Harry Potter- the official theme park located in Universal Studios in FloridaThe Wizarding World of Harry Potter WB Studio Tour- visit the actual set used in the making of the Harry Potter filmsWB Studio Tour
The Harry Potter community aims to find more people who enjoy Harry Potter and to spread their love of the boy with the lightning scar.