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citation for company abandonment.
Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah citation
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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.<ref name="DJNS">{{cite web |publisher=Dow Jones news service |url=http://www.bcvc.com/news/index_detail.lasso?id=204 |title=Beliefnet Secures $7M In Series C Funding For Growth, More Multimedia |author=Rachel Nielsen |date=July 1, 2005}}</ref>
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.<ref name="DJNS">{{cite web |publisher=Dow Jones news service |url=http://www.bcvc.com/news/index_detail.lasso?id=204 |title=Beliefnet Secures $7M In Series C Funding For Growth, More Multimedia |author=Rachel Nielsen |date=July 1, 2005}}</ref>


Beliefnet at one time co-sponsored a series called "Beliefnet Guides to...," including books on Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}}
Beliefnet at one time co-sponsored a series called "Beliefnet Guides to...," including books on Evangelical Christianity and Kabbalah.<ref name="God on the Internet ">{{cite web |publisher=First Things news service |url=http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/god-on-the-internet-1|title=God on the Internet |author=Jonathan V. Last |date=December 2005}}</ref>


On December 4, 2007, Beliefnet announced it had been acquired by the [[Fox Entertainment Group]] for an undisclosed amount of money.<ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/227/story_22725_1.html Press Release: Fox Entertainment Group Acquires Beliefnet]</ref> Waldman, who became editor-in-chief of the company after its acquisition by Fox, left in November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2009/11/good-bye.html |date=November 20, 2009 |title=Good Bye |publisher=beliefnet.com |author=Steven Walman}}</ref>
On December 4, 2007, Beliefnet announced it had been acquired by the [[Fox Entertainment Group]] for an undisclosed amount of money.<ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/227/story_22725_1.html Press Release: Fox Entertainment Group Acquires Beliefnet]</ref> Waldman, who became editor-in-chief of the company after its acquisition by Fox, left in November 2009.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2009/11/good-bye.html |date=November 20, 2009 |title=Good Bye |publisher=beliefnet.com |author=Steven Walman}}</ref>

Revision as of 16:48, 9 February 2011

Beliefnet
Type of site
religion, social
Available inEnglish
OwnerBN Media Associates
URLhttp://www.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.[16]

Notable contributors

See also

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ Waldman, Steven (September 23, 2009). "Deism: Alive and Well in America". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ [3]
  5. ^ [4]
  6. ^ a b Joe Nocera (May 5, 2007). "Keeping Faith In a Venture Built on Faith". New York Times.
  7. ^ Mark A. Kellner (February 19, 2001). "We All Believe In Something". ChristianityToday.
  8. ^ Rachel Nielsen (July 1, 2005). "Beliefnet Secures $7M In Series C Funding For Growth, More Multimedia". Dow Jones news service.
  9. ^ Jonathan V. Last (December 2005). "God on the Internet". First Things news service.
  10. ^ Press Release: Fox Entertainment Group Acquires Beliefnet
  11. ^ Steven Walman (November 20, 2009). "Good Bye". beliefnet.com.
  12. ^ Dawn C. Chmielewski (May 27, 2010). "News Corp. puts Beliefnet on the block". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ^ [5]
  14. ^ [6]
  15. ^ "BN Media, LLC Announces Acquisition of Beliefnet". PR Newswire. June 25, 2010.
  16. ^ 2007