Not that I think any of the known exoplanets have life advanced enough
to pick up a radio message, please note.

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=1769

Or won't the beam spread across that entire solar system?

And what of interest/importance lies beyond Gliese 581 that the
message might encounter?

It is a clear shame that such important events are being done as mere
publicity stunts, but then again I figured this would happen, just as I
also predict the first real space pioneers will be entrepreneurs, tourists,
and groups/cults wanting to escape Earth. Probably some criminals
and political troublemakers too, with governments treating space as
their new Australia.