Beliefnet
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 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2009) |
Type of site | religion, social |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Owner | BN Media Associates |
| URL | Beliefnet.com |
Beliefnet is a large multi-faith e-community that aims to provide a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups. Beliefnet provides information about various religious and spiritual beliefs, ranging from Christian denominations to atheism to smaller faiths like Zoroastrianism. It interviews religious figures, offers articles and blogs on various creeds, has collaborated with Newsweek[1] and Time[2] and has partnerships with The Wall Street Journal[3], Chicken Soup for the Soul[4], and Fox Faith.[5] Beliefnet is not affiliated with any spiritual organization or movement.
History
The site, launched on December 28, 1999, initially included side businesses such as an online store and building Web sites for houses of worship. Between the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000, the company raised $26 million in funding.[6]
The side businesses were abandoned in 2001.[7] In April 2002 the company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a month after co-founder Steven Waldman became its chief executive. It emerged from bankruptcy in October 2002.[6]
In July 2005, the company reported that it had raised $7 million in new funding, and that "The site's traffic patterns more or less mirror the [U.S.] population as a whole," with roughly 70% of the site's traffic related to Christian interests, and about 70% of the site's visitors being women, mainly in the age range of 35 to 45 years old.[8]
Beliefnet at one time co-sponsored a series called "Beliefnet Guides to...," including books on Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah.[9]
On December 4, 2007, Beliefnet announced it had been acquired by the Fox Entertainment Group for an undisclosed amount of money.[10] Waldman, who became editor-in-chief of the company after its acquisition by Fox, left in November 2009.[11]
By May 2010 traffic to the site had dropped from 2.8 million unique visitors to 2.4 million and NewsCorp was seeking a buyer for the site.[12]
On June 25, 2010, Beliefnet was acquired by BN Media, an entity that includes the investors behind Cross Bridge[13] and Affinity4[14].[15]
Site contents
Beliefnet offers eCards, discussions, quizzes, meditations, prayers, and "Soulmatch." Discussions are oriented toward specific groups of people, such as couples and teens, topics ranging from abortion to sexism, and dozens of religious faiths. Specific discussion "boards" exist to ask questions about religions and engage in interfaith dialogue as well as debate and criticism. Boards are hosted by volunteers and supervised by Beliefnet producers.
Awards
Beliefnet received the National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online back in 2007 under its founder.[16]
Notable contributors
- Elliott Abrams
- Sam Harris
- Andrew Sullivan
- Marcus Borg
- Rod Dreher
- David Kuo
- Jim Wallis
- Nell Minow
- Michael A. O'Donnell
See also
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Waldman, Steven (September 23, 2009). "Deism: Alive and Well in America". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ a b Joe Nocera (May 5, 2007). "Keeping Faith In a Venture Built on Faith". New York Times.
- ^ Mark A. Kellner (February 19, 2001). "We All Believe In Something". ChristianityToday.
- ^ Rachel Nielsen (July 1, 2005). "Beliefnet Secures $7M In Series C Funding For Growth, More Multimedia". Dow Jones news service.
- ^ Jonathan V. Last (December 2005). "God on the Internet". First Things.
- ^ Press Release: Fox Entertainment Group Acquires Beliefnet
- ^ Steven Walman (November 20, 2009). "Good Bye". beliefnet.com.
- ^ Dawn C. Chmielewski (May 27, 2010). "News Corp. puts Beliefnet on the block". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ "BN Media, LLC Announces Acquisition of Beliefnet". PR Newswire. June 25, 2010.
- ^ 2007