BEDAugust 4

It's Saturday! Time for me to rant and rave about anything I want. Of course the problem is that I have no idea what to rant or rave about. Seriously, I've tried to start this blog at least ten times tonight and I still can't think of a damned thing I want to rant or rave about. Does this mean I'm just having a mediocre day? Nothing especially bad or good that stands out enough for me to talk about. Work went well tonight, I love the group I close with. I visited briefly with Jill and Meg. Earlier I made a VEDA video and caught up on my HPA emails. Really there's not much else I should be doing. Except making the HPA video shot list...which I just left and did. For you reading this no time has past, but for me it was an almost 20 minute adventure to write something I should have done days ago.

Now, back on track with my rants and raves. I guess I can spend just a little time raving about a project I'm involved in, My Hogwarts. My Hogwarts is basically a virtual social networking platform exclusively for Harry Potter fans. I've been involved with this project almost from the beginning. Keith, the man in charge and Headmaster of My Hogwarts, is a dear friend of mine. He asked me to come on as a Beta staffer, just answering questions and reporting bugs, and I was hooked. I'm now proud to be an official staff member.

My Hogwarts is made up of six main parts, and each of them is a unique way for Harry Potter fans to interact and meet each other. The Library is a collection of fanfiction and fictional textbooks and literary studies that encourage creativity and discussion among the fans. There's a great set of stories to be found and the textbooks inspire all sorts of dialogues, not to mention a potential for fake classes. The Auditorium is a place for fans to watch streams of fanfilms or live streams of Quidditch or Wrock or any other note worthy Potter event. It's also equipped with a chat room allowing everyone to socialize while watching the screen. Wizard Cities is a way to get Potter fans connected with the locals, and expand your fan life from the computer to the real world. You can become a member of the city you live in and from there add events and chat with each other and make new friends. Wrockbox is the streaming Wizard Rock station, which is full of all kinds of incredible music. It's a great way to get to know new Wrock bands, and is always streaming. There's a huge discussion board that allows you to talk with others about any subject you want. This opens up the door for intense academic discussions as well as socializing over common interests. The best part of My Hogwarts for me is that you choose your house and then you're placed in a dorm with other students. It's like real Hogwarts where you may not know these people well, but you're bound to become friends.

Overall My Hogwarts is an incredible site to be a part of. It has it's glitches like anything else, but it's leaps and bounds beyond anything I thought it was going to be. Keith keeps adding new features and there are things like the My Hogwarts Virtual Choir and Chocolate Frog Cards still in the works and on their way out. If you're a Harry Potter fan this site really is something you should look into. I'm so happy with the way everything has turned out and I can't wait to see where it goes. There's an awesome staff behind it and half the fun in my life is hanging with them in our virtual staff room.

Until tomorrow.