Harry Potter spawns parallel Internet world

The Harry Potter books have spawned a parallel universe on the Internet, where sites attract millions of fans every day and play a major part in the success of the novels and their Hollywood adaptations.

So popular are J.K. Rowling's stories, and the Web pages built around them, that a handful of online fans have become stars in their own right.

Arguably the biggest is Emerson Spartz, who was just 12 when he set up www.mugglenet.com. Today the site is visited up to 40 million times a month, making it one of the biggest Potter sites in the world and a viable commercial venture.

Rowling has long recognised the power of the Internet. Her own Web site, www.jkrowling.com, boasts up to seven million hits every day and Spartz and Anelli were invited in 2005 to hold a rare interview with her.

Source: Reuters