Beliefnet
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Beliefnet or Beliefnet.com is a large spiritual site on the internet that is owned by Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation. It 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. It collaborates with Newsweek on a column. It has a study guide for the Bible.[1] Beliefnet is a large multi-faith e-community. It aims to provide a free forum for religious information and inspiration, spiritual tools, and discussions and dialogue groups.
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[edit] History
The site, launched on 28 December 1999, initially included side businesses such as an online store and building Web sites for houses of worship. These endeavors were abandoned in 2001. In April 2002 the company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, emerging in October 2002. The company has since stabilized financially. According to an August 25, 2005, Blue Chip news release[2] quoting Beliefnet co-founder and chief executive Steven Waldman, "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. About 70% of the site's visitors are women, and they tend to be in the age range of 35 to 45 years old. The advertising-supported company has recently begun sponsoring a series called "Beliefnet Guides to...," including books on Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah.
On December 4, 2007, Beliefnet announced it had been acquired by the Fox Entertainment Group for an undisclosed amount of money.[3]
[edit] 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.
[edit] Notable contributors
- Elliott Abrams Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs
- Sam Harris
- Andrew Sullivan
- Marcus Borg
- Rod Dreher
- David Kuo
- Jim Wallis
- Dan Gilgoff
- Nell Minow (the Movie Mom)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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