So, in honor of the last four movies in the Harry Potter series (or the “darker” movies), here are some brilliant details from Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows — Part 1, and Deathly Hallows — Part 2.
Editor’s Note: BuzzFeed does not support discriminatory or hateful speech in any form. We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and all fans who found a home in theHarry Potterseries and will work to provide a safe space for fans. If you, like us, feel impassioned about trans rights, learn more or donate here.
Digital experience done well looks a bit like magic. Poof! Your DXP or content platform just delivered personalized content to the right customer at the right moment. Amazing.
But magic isn’t effortless. Look at Harry Potter, who spent six years at Hogwarts perfecting his spells and potions. Just like Harry, marketers and content strategists need to put in some grunt work before they can do fantastic things. They need to build a foundation for digital experience, and that foundation is taxonomy.
Harry Potter and his world of wizards and beasts, as it turns out, can help us understand how to create an effective taxonomy. Read on to reveal four taxonomy secrets.
Why You Need a Taxonomy for Digital Content
First a quick primer: A taxonomy is a scheme of classification, a way to organize digital content using clear, logical categories and associated tags. You create a taxonomy by assembling a vocabulary of terms, placed into a hierarchy with different levels of categories and subcategories. Then that taxonomy is baked into the back-end of your CMS or digital platform, allowing you to categorize and tag every content element or asset — by product line, by topic, by content type, by customer journey stage, and so on.
A non-Harry Potter example of a multi-hierarchical taxonomy, with four separate hierarchies, each up to four levels deep.PHOTO: iStockphoto
With a taxonomy in place, you can unlock the magic of your digital platform. Here are just a few of the possibilities:
But remember the grunt work I mentioned at the beginning? You have to get through that first before you can deliver these types of content experiences. Creating a taxonomy isn’t a simple task that you can wrap up in one afternoon. It takes effort and a smart approach.
Taxonomy Secret #1: Enter the Mind of Your Customer
Start with your customers, both internal and external. A good taxonomy captures how they think about your content and how they might organize it — rather than how you’d organize it. If you build your taxonomy in a vacuum, without customer input, it won’t reflect how your users will look for information once they reach your platform. It won’t incorporate the terminology they prefer.
You can enter the minds of your customers in one of two ways:
Use legilimency, a form of magic that allows you to probe another person’s mind and read their thoughts, like Voldemort did to Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Or just ask them to help! Would they be willing participate in a little taxonomy exercise or stakeholder interview? Maybe sweeten the deal with a Starbucks gift card.
Taxonomy Secret #2: Let Your Cards Reveal the Truth
A range of tools and techniques can help you build a customer-centric taxonomy. My favorite approach to getting customer input is through card sorting. This time-tested exercise asks participants to organize content topics — one on each “card” — into groups that make sense to them, and then to name each group in a way that they feel accurately describes the content. This is called an open card sort.
To illustrate how it works, let’s dive into a Harry Potter card sort exercise. Imagine a pile of index cards, each with the name of a human or beast from the Harry Potter universe.
PHOTO: iStockphoto
What are all the ways you could group the characters together? In a complex fantasy world like Harry Potter, you’ve got lots of options.
Taxonomy Secret #3: Embrace Agreement … and Disagreement
The three Harry Potter examples above reveal several important takeaways for your own taxonomy development:
Expect a diversity of categorizations and groupings. Sorting by job (students, teachers, etc.) isn’t necessarily more correct than by magical type (beings, beasts, etc.). When you perform a card sort with your stakeholders, you’ll likely get a diversity of approaches. That’s a good thing.
Agreement and disagreement are both helpful. Strong agreement (for example, if most participants categorize Harry Potter characters by magical type) may indicate consensus around a single categorization framework. But disagreement allows us to understand alternative ways to categorize the same information.
There is room in your taxonomy for multiple approaches. In a multi-hierarchical taxonomy (see example above), you don’t have to make hard choices and jettison a well-defined grouping. Your digital platform can organize content in as many ways as you need: by product line, industry, journey stage … or Hogwarts house.
Taxonomy Secret #4: Analyze and Test
The process of taxonomy development is both art and science, with a sprinkling of magic. But don’t shortchange the science and research part. Your card sorting results will require a rigorous analysis to identify areas of agreement around classifications. For example, a similarity matrix can reveal the cards your participants paired together in the same group the most often. Dendrograms and cluster analyses can illustrate potential groupings.
Example of a similarity matrix for taxonomy analysis.PHOTO: iStockphoto
Once you’ve mapped out your taxonomy’s hierarchies and categories, it’s time to test them. Take individual pieces of content and apply your taxonomy tags and categories. Does the system work consistently? Are any terms redundant? Is there any content that doesn’t fit your labels?
PHOTO: iStockphoto
Hermione passes the taxonomy test! (And if you know anything about Hermione, this is no surprise.)
In my experience, taxonomy is one of the most overlooked elements of digital strategy. That’s too bad, because the effort applied in developing a solid taxonomy pays off in profound ways. Digital content is the centerpiece of your marketing strategy, and a taxonomy allows your content to be:
Accurate: The standardized nomenclature provides consistent labels for all your content and assets across all formats.
Flexible: Using a tagging system means that content can be reused more easily — for example, bundles of topical theme-driven content can be gathered instantaneously and related content accurately associated.
Found: When a taxonomy is used to standardize copy and tag content, it means that your site is more likely to have accurate search results and get users what they want.
Easy: When the editorial and production staff has a clear sense of the content and how to use it, they are more likely to maximize its potential.
If you’re convinced that taxonomy is worth the trouble, then wave your magic wand and get started. Good luck!
If you are the sort of person who gets goosebumps thinking about how Sirius Black’s mom burned his name off the family tree wallpaper, or how the Nargles may have made off with Luna Lovegood’s sneakers, there’s no better place for you in the months ahead than the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
“Harry Potter: The Exhibition’’ is now open at the museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Philadelphia is the first stop for the 20,000-square-foot, behind-the-scenes exhibition, which invites fans into the magical world of “Harry Potter,’’ and the expanding worlds of J.K. Rowling’s ”Fantastic Beasts’’ and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’’ It will run through Sept. 18 before embarking on a world tour. (Future host cities have not yet been revealed.)
Filled with props, costumes, immersive environments and interactive fun, the “Harry Potter’’ experience can be personalized — upon arrival guests use a touchscreen to select a favorite character. Using a scannable wristband, their choice will make the visitor’s experience extra special.
‘Harry Potter: The Exhibition’ tickets are now on sale for Philadelphia premiere
What is the exhibit like?
I toured a preview of the exhibition (as Hermione Granger, of course) just before it opened on Friday.
Here, according to this big fan, are the 12 coolest things you will encounter – saving best for last —if you and your favorite Muggles attend the show:
1. Gain points for your house by getting a Quaffle through a ring at the Quidditch match. If you ever wished you were a chaser like Ginny Weasley, this is your big chance.
2. Repot a screeching Mandrake in Professor Sprout’s Herbology Class. It may leave your ears ringing, but it’s worth it. (This is perhaps the coolest classroom).
3. As is often the case at major exhibitions anywhere, guests will exit through the gift shop. Sometimes that is annoying but in this case it’s quite fun. Have some extra gold stored in your vault at Gringotts? Stock up on Harry Potter swag and gifts in the shop, which offers everything from chocolate frogs to Daily Prophet tote bags to Dobby plush dolls.
4. Conjure something Riddikulus to fend off the shape shifting Boggarts (your greatest fears) in your Defense Against the Dark Arts Class.
5. Get ready to feel a full range of human emotion as you check out many costumes from the “Harry Potter’’ film series and a few from ‘‘Fantastic Beasts’’ and the Broadway show “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.’’ It’s particularly fun to see Luna Lovegood’s outfit, and sad to view the robes Cedric Diggory wore when he met his fate. You’ll likely get chills when you spy Bellatrix LeStrange’s black gown or the Dark Lord’s (we don’t dare utter his name) wand. But that’s not as scary as when you approach the unmistakably Pepto Bismol pink suit of Dolores Umbridge.
6. If you always wanted to cast your Patronus, now is your chance. Since I was Hermione, I got to conjure an otter and banish those joy-sucking Dementors.
7. Do watching the movie scenes in Hogwarts make you crave Cornish Pasties and Pumpkin Juice? Visit the Great Hall. While you cannot dine exactly, you will get to see those amazing, suspended candles over the mammoth tables.
8. We already know Professor Trelawney didn’t think much of Hermione’s talent for Divination, but that doesn’t mean you can’t seek your own prophesy in her class. Just gaze into her crystal ball …
9. There is no more powerful theme in all of the Harry Potter canon than the importance of friendship. So bring along your besties and take a selfie in Harry’s room beneath the stairs, behind Professor Umbridge’s desk or in a giant chair inside Hagrid’s Hut.
10. Not to brag or anything, but I earned 10 points for Gryffindor by brewing some Felix Felicis, or liquid luck, just by guessing (apparently, I don’t need any more luck!) in my Advanced Potions Class.
11. Hands down, one of the coolest things in “Harry Potter: The Exhibition’’ is near the entrance, where a giant Marauder’s Map is projected onto three walls. I will not ruin the surprise but definitely scan your wristband everywhere you are asked to do so to get the most out of this show, and take your time in this room and every room, even if it means Argus Filch catches you out of bed.
12. My favorite part of the exhibit was traveling by portkey. Again, I’m not going to ruin the fun for you. Just remember to bring your wand, your friends and your imagination.
There are many more things to do and see throughout the Wizarding World, though I would say you need at least some working knowledge of either the books or the films to make the most of it.
My overall impression?
To paraphrase Hermione Granger, it’s pure “pleasure.’’
Go: “Harry Potter: The Exhibition’’ is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and requires special timed tickets; advance reservations are strongly recommended.
Daytime Tickets: 9:30 am. to 5 p.m., adult $43; child $39 and includes admission to The Franklin Institute. Evening ticket are: 5 to 8 pm, adult $30; child $30.
Visitors are encouraged to follow Harry Potter: The Exhibition on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as all social media channels for The Franklin Institute. #HarryPotterExhibition
Toasting the Wizarding World
If you’re over 21 and can’t get enough of Harry Potter, this beer’s for you. Rather, beers.
Evil Genius Beer Company, the Fishtown and Philadelphia-based brewing company, celebrates “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” and the return of in-person events with a special new exclusive beer, cocktails, a new running club, a drag brunch and a block party.
Philadelphia Flower Show heads outside again in June
Calling all Phisheads:Phish set summer dates in Atlantic City, Philadelphia and beyond
Secret history:Airbnb offers ‘Made By Us,’ behind-the-scenes tours of historical Philadelphia sites
Honoring a hero:Harriet Tubman traveling sculpture unveiled at Philadelphia’s City Hall
Tammy Paolino is Features Editor for the Atlantic South region of the USA Today Network. She’s an award-winning reporter and editor who loves to cover trends, diversity, the arts, food and drink. Reach her at tpaolino@gannett.com or 856-486-2477 or on Twitter @CP_TammyPaolino. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
After the terrible news of Nathan Stapleton suffering a spinal injury playing rugby for Boorowa, bush footy was rocked with another awful injury two weeks ago when Andrew Regan suffered a broken neck playing for the Orange Emus.
Regan, a popular clubman, husband and father, suffered the injury playing in second grade for the Emus and after being airlifted to North Shore Hospital Sydney, he was diagnosed an incomplete quadriplegic. He is paralysed from the chest down.
Regan posted on social media he is staying focused on making as much of a recovery as possible and those who know him say the endurance runner will be fighting hard for wife Jessie and 12-month-old son Gus. And there are few more supportive places than country rugby.
But in another heartwarming sign, a GoFundMe page was established on Wednesday to help raise money for what are likely to be huge costs for long-term care and recovery, and as of Thursday evening, almost $190,000 of a $250,000 goal had already been raised. You can donate here.
Celebrities talking and posting on social media is one way in for many people – but even at Eva’s level of public profile, as a recognised young Australian actor with a solid body of work, history is never erased. Online, Sean has a history. There’s a showreel of a young man starring in Nowhere Boys; media reports about the Harry Potter cast, references to Sean’s role in the film Jindabyne. Eva is slowly emerging publicly online. Her thoughts on this are moving and considered.
“To be really literal about it, how do you remedy the situation? It could be search engine optimisation. For a lot of trans people I think there’s something really traumatising about the presence online or otherwise of people’s memories of them pre-transition. I don’t feel shame. I don’t hate Sean and I’m not ashamed I was Sean. I want to be perceived as a woman, but there’s no emotional investment for me in people forgetting my trans-ness. I hope people look online or see old photos of me and say: ‘oh wow, she looks so different, hormones work!’”
As Eva makes a kind of professional debut, she admits to being terrified about the play’s premiere. “She wants to cancel the play every day,” Ruby says. “I want to be the older sister jumping in to say, yes, it’s terrifying but incredibly brave. She’s acting, and it’s also her debut as a playwright – double-whammy terrifying. Eva is putting herself out there for people, which takes a ton of courage.”
Harry, 33, from Waterlooville, Hamps, who attended the sale, said: “I’m happy it sold.
“We plan to use the proceeds to take my dad’s ashes to Kenya.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, added: “We’re delighted to deliver a happy ending, and add a new chapter to the Potter story.
“Considering its well-used, well-loved condition, the book did extremely well. I’m so pleased Harry and Katie can now use the proceeds to honour their father.
“And I’m delighted Hansons’ has sprinkled yet more Potter magic. It’s all down to the hard work of our hugely respected books expert Jim Spencer.
“He has uncovered and sold several rare Potter books and gained a formidable worldwide reputation for his expertise.”
The sales manager previously told how has spent the last 25 years trying to convince people that his name really is the same as the fictional boy wizard.
He said: “People just don’t believe me.
Harry Potter author JK Rowling (Image: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“When I was a young footballer, a referee threatened me with a red card for saying my name was Harry Potter.
“When I met my wife, Philippa on holiday in Greece, she didn’t believe me either.
“People think it’s a wind up. I’ve had the Mick taken out of me over the years but you get used to it.
“I’m quite outgoing and I’ve handled it pretty well, plus it has its pros.
“When I was 12 and the first Potter film was released, we were invited to be family of the week on the Big Breakfast TV show.
“I met lots of stars including Gwen Stefani and Ben Stiller.
“My current boss, Steve Barrett assumed my surname was Shaw because that’s my mum’s new married name and she works for him.
“When he found out I’m called Harry Potter he said he should have paid me more because people would always remember me.
“When you ring someone up and they ask your name they usually dissolve into laughter or say ‘you’re joking’. It makes making a complaint quite difficult.
“We think now’s the time to use the money to benefit our families and do something dad wanted.
“I have three small children – Hugo, five, Arthur, two and Maggie, 19 weeks – and my sister Katie has Freddie.
“Funnily enough Hugo and Arthur are both names of characters in Potter books but the choice was accidental.”
Proceeds from the sale of the book will also be shared with Harry’s sister Katie Sign, 36, an accountant and mum to Freddie, one, from Waterlooville.
Being four years older than Harry, she said she has vivid memories of the book’s arrival at the family home in 1997.
Katie said: “I remember dad bursting through the front door after work brandishing a book, proclaiming ‘you’ll never believe what I’ve got!’.
“At first glance we were confused. Had someone written a book for Harry? Our Harry Potter?
“Dad explained that he’d heard Terry Wogan mention Harry Potter on Radio 2 and, once he had gathered Terry was referring to an award-winning children’s’ book – not his then eight-year-old son – he turned his van round, drove straight to Bay Tree Bookshop in Waterlooville and bought us a copy.
“The novelty and coincidence of the namesake was what made us open that first book but the magic of the story kept us turning the pages for years.
“Harry was eight and I was 12 when we first read the books together.
“The book had pride of place on the windowsill next to my bed, and was eventually joined by the whole collection.
“They’ve stayed on a shelf or a windowsill in every house I’ve lived in for 20 years. It was treasure to us long before it had any value to the rest of the world.
“Our dad passed away at the age of 71 after a long battle with cancer in October 2017, and we love and miss him dearly.
“It was shortly after this we realised the old book we’d loved and treasured for 20 years was a sought-after first edition copy.
“Our dad was a wise and loving man who believed the richest people were those who lived life to its fullest, and that experience had more value than money.
“Selling the book then, despite its financial value, was of no interest to us.
“It was one of few lasting, tangible treasures we had from our dad.
“So, the book was retired to a protective sandwich bag in the cupboard under the stairs, and there it remained for four years.
“Over time we realised the book had changed for us.
“We knew rare first editions were selling for tens of thousands of pounds. It wasn’t any longer something we could enjoy, or love, without fear of damaging it.
“We aren’t investors or collectors, we’re two grown-up kids who would like to enjoy life the way our dad prescribed – to its fullest.
“The book is the legacy dad left us to do that.
“With the proceeds from the sale, we would like to take dad’s ashes to Africa, the place he asked to finally rest, where we can make new and fantastic memories with our own children and families.”
Katie, who’s married to Olympic sailor Alain Sign, added: “Freddie’s middle name is George. We chose it because we thought it just sounded right.
“Later we realised it sounded right because of Fred and George, the Weasley twins in the Potter books.
“Being Harry Potter’s sister has been hilarious – mad at times.
“When I told people my name was Katie Potter they’d often say, ‘Have you got a brother called Harry’ and I’d have to say ‘yes’.
“I know there are one or two other Harry Potters in the UK but, as far as I’m aware, only a couple were given the name before the Potter books came out.”
Speaking to Mirror Money, Matthew Haley, head of books at auction house Bonhams, explained: “Bonhams sold a set of first editions of the Harry Potter books in 2005 for £14,400, and on two occasions in 2007 sold copies of The Philosopher’s Stone for £9,000. That first book in the series is worth hugely more than the subsequent volumes, and condition is everything. More recently first editions of the first book in fair condition have sold for around £4,000. Obviously genuine signatures or even better inscriptions by JK Rowling can add tremendously to the value.”
As the book series goes on, the less the first editions are valued – novels after Chamber of Secrets range from around £1000 down to less than a tenner – in that order. This is simply because of the sheer volume that was produced due to the ever-increasing popularity of the series as it went on.
The first two books are of particular interest, so readers should look out for the “Joanne Rowling” credit in Philosopher’s Stone alongside the print line “10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.” As for Chamber, it was published in 1998 and the first copies can sell for over £1000. Early versions of the deluxe editions also make thousands, while standard early print versions sell for a similar price.
After going dark last holiday season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Grinchmas and Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will return to Universal Studios Hollywood starting Friday, Nov. 26 with the festivities running daily through Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022.
The Grinch, his trusty dog Max and all the citizens of Whoville will be out spreading holiday cheer in the Universal Plaza. They’ll be performing live shows and hosting readings of Dr. Seuss’ beloved holiday classic, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The 65-foot-tall Grinchmas Tree, decked out with hundreds of ornaments and thousands of lights, will light up nightly and be accompanied by a flurry of snowfall. Grinch-themed treats and hot cocoa will be available for purchase.
Over in Hogsmeade Village, it will be Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as each storefront will be decorated in holiday decor and lights. Guests can experience a cappella performances by the Hogwarts Frog Choir, enjoy the seasonal Hot Butterbeer and nosh on savory festive eats at the Three Broomsticks. At dusk, The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle show will engulf the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with holiday imagery and music from the “Harry Potter” film series.
All holiday activities are included in the price of theme park admission. Tickets are $99-$134 California resident general admission; $169-$279 California resident Universal Express; $109-$134 general admission; $179-$279 Universal Express. All passes are available at universalstudioshollywood.com.
In addition to what’s happening inside the park, the adjacent CityWalk will also undergo a holiday transformation with lots of decor and a 40-foot-tall Christmas tree with over 200,000 LED lights, which will stand in front of the Universal Cinema.