This just in: News Corp., owned by Rupert Murdoch, is getting deeper into the religion market:

Fox Entertainment Group (FEG) today announced its acquisition of Beliefnet, a Web site that enables consumers to better understand their faith and build diverse spiritual communities by providing content and tools for a broad range of religions and spiritual approaches. Beliefnet, the largest online faith and spirituality destination, will become part of Fox Digital Media, spearheaded by President Dan Fawcett, which takes on an expanded role to support FEG's vast cable, TV and film brands online, and drive FEG's continued growth in the online market.

The acquisition provides Beliefnet with vast resources to further build and enhance its already popular brand. It also offers an online platform for FEG to distribute content from its extensive media library and for News Corp. to expand its faith-based businesses, including HarperCollins' Zondervan and HarperOne brands, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment's faith-based programming initiative.

Additionally, Beliefnet will provide unique, world-renowned spiritual programming to the company's various businesses. Beliefnet will also partner closely with Fox Interactive Media, leveraging the group's world-class technology and "FIM Serve" targeted advertising delivery platform.

"Beliefnet has garnered respect for its commitment to quality, editorial strength and unbiased approach to faith and spirituality from a broad range of consumers, religious and political leaders, journalists and advertisers," said Dan Fawcett, President of Fox Digital Media. "FEG's goal is to leverage these characteristics across a broader media canvas and provide programming, production, advertising sales, technology and marketing expertise that will enhance an already terrific product in a rapidly growing market." Beliefnet provides devotional tools, access to the best spiritual teachers in the world, thought-provoking commentary and a portfolio of Web-based social networking tools to enable a supportive community surrounding each person's unique spiritual principles and beliefs.

Its insightful and compelling editorial content has been consistently recognized by the American Society of Magazine Editors and the site has received numerous general excellence awards. Beliefnet strives for political and ideological balance and is not affiliated with any spiritual organization or movement.

"FEG's vast resources will enable Beliefnet to expand our audience, enhance our offerings and more effectively carry out our mission to help people find and walk a spiritual path that brings comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness," said Steven Waldman, Beliefnet's CEO, Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder.

Savvian LLC advised Beliefnet on this transaction. Financial terms were not disclosed.

It's an interesting, affirming move by News Corp., and an interesting extension of how technology and spirituality come together in the marketplace.

— Mark Kellner, The Washington Times

This came from Microsoft on Monday: users of pirated copies of Windows Vista will just be nagged to "get genuine," instead of having their machines shut down, the firm reports:

Although our overall strategy remains the same, with SP1 we're adjusting the customer experience that differentiates genuine from non-genuine systems in Windows Vista and later in Windows Server.

Users whose systems are identified as counterfeit will be presented with clear and recurring notices about the status of their system and how to get genuine. They won't lose access to functionality or features, but it will be very clear to them that their copy of Window Vista is not genuine and they need to take action.

This is a change in tactics from our current approach for Windows Vista, and it is based on great feedback from customers and partners.

With the original release-to-manufacturers version of Windows Vista we released in November 2006, counterfeit systems can go into a state called reduced functionality mode, which essentially suspends a number of features of the system until the user takes action to get genuine.

Our new tactic, which takes effect with SP1 for Windows Vista and also will be part of Windows Server 2008, due out next year, is a proven and effective way to combat piracy. Customers want to know the status of their systems, and how to take action if it turns out they were victimized.

It's worth re-emphasizing that our fundamental strategy has not changed. All copies of Windows Vista still require activation and the system will continue to validate from time to time to verify that systems are activated properly. What is changing with SP1 is the nature of the experience for those systems that are never activated or that fail validation.

That's the word from Michael Sievert, the firm's Corporate Vice President for Windows Product Marketing, in an interview the firm posted here. The change will take place with the release of "Service Pack 1," or SP1, which'll fix a lot of bugs, I'm sure.

— Mark Kellner, The Washington Times

One of the best direct response copywriters in America, if not the known universe, is Mr. Robert W. Bly of Dumont, New Jersey. He's widely published in trade magazines such as DM News and author of The
Copywriter's Handbook, Third Edition: A Step-By-Step Guide To Writing Copy That Sells, which is arguably the definitive handbook on the subject.

In short, he knows direct marketing, even the electronic kind. But knowledge without action can lead to problems, as Mr. Bly revealed in an e-mail to the many thousands of people on his e-mail list:

Did you get a weird e-mail from me recently?

Earlier this week, some of my subscribers received an e-mail -- supposedly from me -- with the headline: "FREE $97 Value Report On Where To Advertise For Maximum Profit."

Quite a few of your e-mailed me inquiring whether it was legitimate and really from me -- or a fake.

It was a fake. And not from me.

Here's how it happened -- and why it's highly unlikely that it will ever happen again …

The e-mail distribution software I used to use has a feature that allows anyone on the list to e-mail to the list.

Of course, as the list owner, I could -- and did -- keep that feature locked.

But during the week, we switched maintenance of our subscriber list to a different server.

In the switching process, the list accidentally became unlocked -- and
someone posted to it.

Of course, we have relocked it … and this should not happen again.

We are also switching to a different e-mail distribution software package that does not have this sharing feature -- making it even more difficult for a dishonest person to tamper with us.

Mr. Bly spoke the truth: little hinges swing -- or in this case, unlock -- big doors. By not locking down his e-mail list server, he got into a bit of trouble. He's fixed it, apologized, and even offered his readers a little bonus for taking the time to reaffirm their desire to hear from him.

For any of us who maintain or work with electronic mailing lists, Mr. Bly's experience holds a cautionary lession: make sure you've got your stuff nailed down, and double-check every time you change something in your routine. If it's a headache for Mr. Bly, imagine the blowback a federal agency might get for a similar, albeit human, mistake.

My thanks to Mr. Bly for permission to share his name and the
details of his story. I offered him the option of anonymity, and he
was kind enough to allow his name to be used.

— Mark Kellner, The Washington Times