DeusM

DeusM was an integrated marketing services company launched in October 2010. It was owned by United Business Media and led by Managing Director Stephen Saunders. The name is an abbreviation of "deus ex machina," a classical phrase signifying the resolution of a problem by an unexpected, god-like intervention.

DeusM offered services on two platforms, Community in a Box (CiaB), and Community Activation Platform (CAP), a modified version of CiaB. According to the Financial Times, these "'community websites'...each of which is based on a specific theme such as Future Cities or Oncology...allow users to post their own content and are curated by a small team of editors and paid contributors."

Chuck Richard, an analyst at media research company Outsell Inc described UBM's success in developing community sites as "a result of the scalability of the Community in a Box model."

In 2013, UBM announced a decision to move its online business to the UBM DeusM community platform. EE Times made the transition in July, and has reported increased page views and messages. Light Reading followed in August, and Information Week was due to follow in October.

Community in a Box (CiaB)

DeusM's services were based around a platform called "Community in a Box", a structured system for creating online communities. Communities can be centered on any industry or profession, and give enterprises and marketers the opportunity to engage with professional audiences. DeusM developed integrated Marketing as a Service (MaaS) solutions around these communities. Among the communities created by DeusM were Future Cities, Enterprise Efficiency and Internet Evolution.

Design News, the trade publication for design engineers launched in 1946, became a United Business Media property following its sale by Canon Communications in 2010. In addition to its paper edition, published monthly, it now has a digital edition based on a DeusM CiaB platform. It also produces video content for DeusM's YouTube channel.

CiaB content includes articles (blogs) by editorial staff and freelance contributors, video blogs, digital audio shows, and online university courses. Contributors of written or video blogs to DeusM CiaB sites have included:

  • Parry Aftab, cyberlawyer;
  • Robert D. Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation;
  • Terry Bellamy, mayor of Asheville, North Carolina;
  • Daniel Brook, author;
  • Vint Cerf, joint creator of the Internet;
  • Manny Diaz, former mayor of Miami
  • Daniel Doctoroff, CEO of Bloomberg L.P.;
  • Cory Doctorow, novelist and co-editor of Boing Boing;
  • Ron Huldai, mayor of Tel Aviv;
  • Andrew Keen, author;
  • Kasim Reed, mayor of Atlanta;
  • Lawrence Roberts, co-creator of ARPANET.

    • Streaming radio guests have included:

  • Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist;
  • Clay Shirky, author and educationalist;
  • Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia.

    • Community Activation Platform (CAP)

    Community Activation Platforms are modified versions of CiaBs. They are online communities with single sponsors. For example, the CAP site Microcontroller Central was sponsored by NXP Semiconductors, affording NXP "a chance to build a dialogue with engineers who do not already have a relationship with the company.".

    Among other CAPs created by DeusM were 21st Century IT, Medical Packaging Innovation, and The Mobility Hub.

    As of February, 2014, Saunders rejoined Light Reading, having reacquired the company from UBM Tech. The DeusM webpage redirects to UBM Tech.

    References

    Category:World Wide Web Category:Marketing

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