Last night as I went to bed my last thoughts were of the Pottermore website.  I’ve found myself extremely interested in what it might contain.  What fun awaits Harry Potter fans?  What can we see/do/experience?  The possibilities, in my eyes, were endless.  Even more so was my insatiable curiosity.

So this morning, after walking my dog and finishing breakfast, I ran upstairs to my computer as fast as I could.  Pottermore awaits, I thought to myself.  How exciting!  I plugged in the website address.  As the little wheel spun, a few moments felt like an eternity.  But finally the site loaded, and what did I see?

A countdown leading to another countdown.

When I first saw it my initial thought was “….Really?  You’re serious?”

No, I’m not joking, though I wish I was.  The website’s home page is the only page you can access.  It’s a beautiful page, nonetheless but still…it’s just a single page with a small message that reads:

Pottermore is open to all in October. Leave us your email address now and we’ll notify you when registration has opened.

I submitted the email address we use for news so we can stay up to date on the website’s launch.  It took at least six attempts (errors, time outs, etc.) but I finally got it to work.  The boss should be happy.  So if you’re trying to register your email address, be persistent – apparently the site’s getting tons of requests at the moment.

Continuing on…to the left there’s a small thumbnail of a video Rowling recorded for her fans.  It’s very touching.  Little information is given.  Well, I mean she shares how grateful she is to the fans and then talks about the site a bit.  It sounds to me as if it’s going to be highly interactive. The graphics in the video are awesome.

I highly recommend you watch it yourself.

Rowling also advises that Harry Potter fans should return to the site on July 31 for a chance to access the site early.  I’ll have to mark that on my calendar since the date is not exactly around the corner.

All in all though, it was a very disappointing early morning discovery.

I hate to be pessimistic but do you know what this sounds like to me?  It sounds like Rowling is saying to herself, “Hmmm, my movies are over.  Need. More. Revenue.  Let me produce this website to keep the HP dynasty going.”  Of course I could be totally wrong. Maybe she is doing it for her love of the fans.  That could possibly be true.   The site is free after all, even though the books will be purchasable through the website when it opens (Rowling verifies this in her video speech).

Or maybe it’s another scenario… maybe Rowling’s not to blame at all.  Maybe it’s just typical media hype.  You know, the frenzy that kicks up over things like this that causes the public to start freaking out and wanting more, more more.  This leads to a countdown, then more countdowns, endless teasers and previews, etc.  But who’s really to blame in a case like that?  Is it really the fault of the media?  I think it’s a lot like drug dealing – you know what I mean – if the people aren’t buying, the dealer’s out of business.  Same with the media.  If we would just relax and not get all up in a frenzy when stuff like this comes up, then there’d be less disappointment (and less obsession which could actually be a GOOD thing).

I guess I’m rambling now.  Regardless of the motives for the site, it was a huge letdown to discover yet another countdown, and I’m sure I can’t be the only one who feels this way.