• by Tameka Kee , November 15, 2007

It's sort of like Facebook for faith.

New York-based Beliefnet has announced the beta launch of Beliefnet Community, a new social networking section within Beliefnet.com that fosters interaction, collective journaling and the formation of small support groups online. Major advertisers like Bank of America have already snagged ad space on the main site, and the new features create a wealth of additional inventory and sponsorship options.

The Beliefnet Community gives members the standard profile creation, picture sharing and messaging options of most social networks, but also allows users to create small activity or discussion groups, arrange meet-ups via calendaring options, upload videos, and set up communal journals.

Members can also set up donation campaigns, and search profiles and content using specific keyword or religious filters, and the community also offers various privacy controls.

While Beliefnet.com has received accolades like the 2007 National Magazine Association award for General Excellence Online, Editor in Chief and CEO Steven Waldman says that content alone was not going to keep users coming back, no matter the quality.

"We had very strong community features like message boards and prayer circles, but they'd become antiquated compared to the new generation of social networking tools," Waldman says. "These new tools allow people to find kindred spirits, but also make Beliefnet a vehicle for personal expression."

Waldman says the social networking aspects also appeal to advertisers, particularly in the entertainment and pharmaceutical verticals, as they allow them to connect with Beliefnet's typical user: "women in their 40s, who are the consumer decision makers in their households, and the influential people on their block."

Los Angeles-based Bristol Bay Productions and Warner Bros. have promoted their movies on the site, while Eli Lilly and Company is currently running splash page ads for the depression drug Cymbalta. "Those have been our breakout categories, and it's been very exciting to see more national brand advertisers and studios like Disney and Fox come onboard," Waldman says. "Two years ago, it was all performance-based advertisers." Beliefnet.com does offer sponsored text ads in addition to display and video units.

Despite Beliefnet's wide range of theologies, religious advertisers make up only a small portion of the marketer base. Waldman added that the company is looking forward to the upcoming elections, since they've had political advertisers for previous campaign seasons.

"We expect to have those kinds of advertisers again because our audience is a desirable voting block," Waldman says. "But this year in particular, it seems that the candidates are more attuned to campaigning online and reaching spiritual voters than in the past. Of course we have to be careful to make it clear that we're not endorsing anyone, because our audience easily splits between red, blue, and purple."