http://www.free-rein.net/ 15 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/change_to_uk_cookie_law_updated Fri, 20 May 2011 12:24:48 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/change_to_uk_cookie_law_updated UPDATE 25 May 2011: The Information Commissioners Office have issued a new statement that effectively gives UK organisations a further 12 month to comply with the new regulations. This does not mean we can wait the 12 months out but that they have 12 months to find a more workable solutions and we can take time to consider how we meet the requirements. This affects all EU based websites and organisations and so it is worth spending a few moments understanding what has changed and how it affects you. In essence the law says we now need to ask the visitor’s “prior consent” before placing a cookie on their machine. The exception to this rule is where the cookie is “strictly necessary” for the service requested. What is a cookie Cookies are small data files that are placed on a website visitors’ machine to help deliver the sites functionality such as allowing access to member areas, operation of shopping baskets and to aid in site analytics. If that has whet your appetite for more detail, please take a trip to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_cookie Prior consent You’ve guessed it - “prior consent” is ill-defined. The EU regulation states that this includes where a visitor “amends or sets controls on their browser”. In the UK the Information Commissioner had delayed guidance while they looked into making the browser provide more control over cookies. Unfortunately the Information Commissioner has then commented that in the UK interpretation, setting browser controls alone is not sufficient. The resulting confusion will settle in the coming months. Strictly necessary The exception to this “prior request” rule is where the cookie is “strictly necessary” to deliver the required functionality. Generally on a Free Rein CMS system we use cookies that are required to deliver the functionality, session cookies to deliver the pages, authentication for accessing member only areas and data cookies for a shopping cart. There are only two exceptions to this on our systems. The first is the Google Analytics data in the session cookie which allows collection of anonymous data about use of the site. The second is an element in the session cookie we use for authorising access to the administration site - which technically could be classed as necessary for the audit trail and version control. What do you need to do We will keep an eye on the developing interpretation of the legislation in the UK and let you know whenever we learn of anything that changes our views. Please contact your own solicitor where you have sub-sites specifically provided for non-UK visitors, though the sites are served from UK based data centres. Local legislation in other EU countries may vary. In the meantime here is the additional information [/free_rein_legal_notices/use_of_cookies] we have added to our site to explain the use of cookies and pointing out the option the visitor has to block them. You can download the ICO guidance note [/content/download/1402/7633/ICO%20_%20Advice_on_the_new_cookies_regulations.pdf] here http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_recruits_boost_team_at_free_rein Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:29:29 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_recruits_boost_team_at_free_rein Since the painters have been in and the finishing touches made to our new offices, two new members have joined our team in Hadleigh. Iona Dean joins the company as Account Manager and will be responsible for developing the client portfolio and raising Free Rein’s profile across East Anglia and the UK.  Iona brings extensive traditional and online marketing experience to the role, having been based in London for many years working with multinational businesses.  Since moving to Suffolk she has run her own retail business and worked with local SMEs in the eastern region. She is joined by Mark Oxford who has been appointed as Account Executive.  Mark will primarily be involved in providing customer support and managed services to our existing client base.  He will be responsible for managing customer content, project management and data analysis using our web based content management system (CMS). Tony Addison, Commercial Director said “We are delighted to bring both Iona and Mark on board to expand our growing team.  We feel the time is now right for us to strengthen our in-house team.  As a customer centric business, servicing our customers is paramount.  The company ethos has its roots in customer care and our approach is similar to a creative agency, ensuring we work closely with the client to accurately define their business requirements and deliver workable solutions.  These additions to our team further enhance our commitment to building strong customer relationships”. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/the_painters_move_in Fri, 29 May 2009 12:18:00 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/the_painters_move_in Having watched the shell of the new office grow over the last few months it has been quite momentous to chose the colours and watch the painters move in. It has been an interesting experience discussing the building design with the developers but it has always seemed to be a little "arms length". John Chisnall and his team are the experts so be have taken their advice - but that has now all started to change with the interior fit and painting. Now we get our sleeves rolled up and have a say. In choosing the colours that was not such an easy task. Read the blog about democracy in interior design! [/blog/my_deco_for_business] Then we got to brief the painters first hand and this week saw them start on the interior. They've got plenty of company with the air conditioning fitters, suspended ceiling and cabling getting underway. It's looking like an end of June completion so planning the move is now the task at hand. Will we get the telephone, broadband, electric etc all moved over at the same time without a hitch? Hmmm, didn't last time but who knows. Four week lead time to shift the phone lines so that will get moving next week. The biggest question is when to order the new furniture. Last time that was one of Adam's first jobs ("last in first into the frying pan" is our philosophy). Still maybe the supplier has learnt from their past mistakes? Potts has been researching big screens with the care normally reserved for building client's websites [/services/web]. Giving ourselves time to settle in means we are looking at a House Warming in July or early August. Quite exciting really. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/b_q_affiliate_program_event Fri, 01 May 2009 16:17:27 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/b_q_affiliate_program_event B&Qs move to greater use of the Internet and multi-channel marketing has created a substantial community of Affiliate Marketing partners. This has largely been managed by the partner chains themselves with limited direct control or contact from the B&Q management team. This has been while they have been redesigning and building the new main website and setting up “shop within shop” sites with Screw Fix, Sutton Seeds and others. The digital marketing team now wanted to create a direct relationship with all Affiliates through an initial Partner Event in London offering advice on improving affiliate returns, search protocols (from Google UK), design (Five by Five), email marketing (Alchemy Worx), search marketing (Tamar). A small number of invitations were sent directly from B&Q management though the bulk of the event invitations and interaction were managed through the Free Rein system [/services/web]. The event was completely booked with most companies attending commenting on the digital channel interaction. www.bandqpartnerzone.com [http://www.bandqpartnerzone.com/]  http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/free_rein_towers_growing Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:57:53 +0000 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/free_rein_towers_growing http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_website_for_haven_gateway_partnership Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:17:33 +0000 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_website_for_haven_gateway_partnership Free Rein worked with Ipswich design company Catapult Design to create a new website structure capable of delivering a significant amount of complex information to a wide and varied audience. The design had to offer new visitors a quick and easy route to understand the role of the Haven Gateway Partnership and for more seasoned visitors to quickly access information about their sector or Councils within the partnership to get to project documentation. The system incorporates an integrated email broadcast system which will be used to send the new designed Ebulletin and request local businesses to register their support and become more involved in the HGP projects. This project will be followed in the New Year by the new Haven Cruise website aimed to cruise operators, excursion businesses and travel agents bringing visitors into Harwich and getting them out to the myriad of places to eat, visit and staying Suffolk and Essex. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/showing_off_the_asao_new_site Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:33:23 +0000 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/showing_off_the_asao_new_site Free Rein were selected from very stiff competition to design and create the new website for the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations. The site need to pack a substantial amount of information for visitors into a structure that was as flat as possible, easily accessed through multiple routes and clear to read and understand. The site needed to work principally for public visitors to find organisations and their events. It needed a regional access, through their interactive map, free text search and "find my nearest". Now given that most of these shows are held in a field in the middle of nowhere - you try finding the postcode! But we did and it has proved a resounding success. The site also has a number of closed user areas so that members, the ASAO Council and the press can have access to up to the minute information about the issues affecting he industry. The administration of the site is managed by a small team but has the capacity to allow a wider audience to share the updating responsibilities with secure and restricted access that can be tailored to the areas of interest. The site was launched at their recent AGM in Torquay and now drives their membership management, invoicing and the data to produce the annual membership and events booklet. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/team_ipswich_awards_evening Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:38:28 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/team_ipswich_awards_evening Free Rein has proudly sponsored the 2008 Team Ipswich 'Innovate Project' Sports Award. The award for both the Winner and Runner up where presented by Alex Dover, Director at Free Rein, at the awards ceremony held at John Grose, Ipswich. The winner was the Jumpers for Goalposts and Game On by Team Ipswich and Positive Futures The runner up was Ipswich Charioteers Wheelchair Football Congratulations to all the awards winners for 2008 and Free Rein is glad to continue its support into 2009. You can find out more about the work of Team Ipswich on their website [http://www.teamipswich.com] http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/tony_joins_the_suffolk_chamber_of_commerce_board Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:17:41 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/tony_joins_the_suffolk_chamber_of_commerce_board We are very proud to announce that our Commercial Director, Tony Addison has been elected to join the Board of Directors at The Suffolk Chamber of Commerce [http://www.suffolkchamber.co.uk]. Tony is also the Vice President of the Hadleigh Chamber of Commerce [http://www.hadleigh4u.org] and we wish him all the best as he takes up this important role in what continues to be an ever developing and dynamic business support organisation. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_suffolk_new_college Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:57:18 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/new_suffolk_new_college Using the Free Rein Content Management System (CMS) that was in place for the existing Suffolk New College website, Suffolk New College, Free Rein and Whitespace Design collaborated to launch the new and improved website. Free Rein worked closely with Suffolk New College to establish the structure of the site which involved moving completely away from the previous layout and site structure. Using Four key areas the website is split into About The College, Student Life, Our Courses an Working With Business, this clear and concise way of displaying the colleges information allows users to quickly identify which area of the website will hold the relevant information and resources for them, making for a greater, quicker and easier user experience. The website has been promoted on local radio station Kiss FM and is about to be launched in the Suffolk Press. We hope you enjoy using the new improved Suffolk New College website [http://www.suffolk.ac.uk] as much as we did building it. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/going_green_with_marks_hall Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:08:53 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/going_green_with_marks_hall Free Rein has made efforts to offset some of its carbon footprint by supporting the Wollemi Pine Project at Marks Hall [http://www.markshall.org.uk/wollemi_pine_project], Gardens and Arboretum located in Essex. The Wollemi Pine is a survivor from the Age of the Dinosaurs. A miraculous time traveller and one of the greatest botanical discoveries of the twentieth century. Wollemi Pines are remarkable and intriguing in the way they grow, each one unique. They still surprise the horticulturalists that have studied and now propagate them. This tree will exhibit many fascinating changes as the seasons pass and as it matures. You can look forward to the formation of the strange ‘polar’ caps and, in time, see its extraordinary bubbly bark, as well as variations in its beautiful prehistoric foliage. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/fpua Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:54:33 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/fpua Felixstowe Port Users Association (FPUA) needed to revitalise their website to raise the association's profile and create a location where they can communicate with members and where their members can in turn interact over issues affecting the Port and the sector generally. Free Rein have built a full content management system where every FPUA member can manage their own profiles and web page, where committee and industry information and papers can be shared in a secure environment. The content management system has an integrated email marketing solution with extensive email tracking and web analytics/statistics, making sure that the FPUA management committee (all volunteers) can ensure their message is getting to everyone and meeting the association needs. Free Rein handled the graphic design and included a rebrand of the FPUA. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/intercontinental_hotels_group Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:53:53 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/intercontinental_hotels_group Free Rein were called in to help InterContinental Hotels Group manage the web and email activities involved with the major relaunch of the new Holiday Inn brand. The EMEA conferences and exhibition, using the entire Farnborough FIVE location, ran for a week with overalapping conferences and presenations to owners, investors, General Managers and senior sales and marketing executives of the Holiday Inn franchisees and several hundred key sector opinion formers and journalists. Free Rein's role was to build the information websites for each group, manage the email invitations and, through personal invitation codes, manage the online registration and payment processes for the conferences, hotels and travel arrangements for 2000 guests. Holiday Inn is the largest hotel brand in the world and this was the largest and most complex launch project IHG and their agency, Pimento, had ever managed. Free Rein were privileged to work on such a high profile project and also took on the complete CRM data management and management of all online payment and offline invoicing to let the Marketing teams focus on delivering the event. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_new_college_website Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:53:21 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_new_college_website Free Rein was recently given the green light to help Suffolk New College further with its internet marketing and have taken their existing website (www.suffolk.ac.uk [http://www.suffolk.ac.uk/]), implementing it onto a content management system, helping support existing email marketing activities. The college will now be able to control every aspect of their website whilst building new and improved features into the site using the bespoke and future proof solution. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_new_college_email_marketing Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:52:41 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_new_college_email_marketing Suffolk New College get free rein over their email marketing. Free Rein have worked together with the College to deliver comprehensive, easy to use, email marketing tools allowing full control over email newsletter and updates. Free Rein have built a comprehensive solution to help Suffolk New College interact with both internal and external contacts in a more positive and direct manner. The email marketing solution gives them control over how and what they communicate to their contacts. March 2008 saw the first of these enewsletter broadcasts. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/c2c Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:52:01 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/c2c Free Rein was commissioned in November 2007 to develop the new c2c website (www.c2c-online.co.uk [http://www.c2c-online.co.uk/]) and by late November it was live and providing real time information, ticket booking and offers to its many customers using the trains from Shoeburyness into London. This is the second train operating company for whom Free Rein has provided a robust, full content management system, email broadcast website. Taking advantage of Free Rein’s high availability web services and comprehensive web analytics means that information about how visitors are using and interacting with the web site is now at their finger tips. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_creating_the_greenest_county Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:51:02 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/suffolk_creating_the_greenest_county This major initiative from Suffolk County Council and the Suffolk Strategic Partnership (www.greensuffolk.org [http://www.greensuffolk.org/]) to get us all thinking harder about our recycling and energy was an ideal project to show off the Free Rein skills. The need was for a full content management system and integrated email broadcast that could be built within a matter of days. Management of the content is shared across a number of teams and Suffolk County Council, who handle most of the content, are using the system as a central focus for related projects. The site played a key role in the major conference put on at Trinity Park in October and Adastral Park in February this year and it also carries the reports, presentations and video links for the people who were unable to secure one of the 400 conference places. http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/team_ipswich Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:50:10 +0100 http://www.free-rein.net/latest_news/team_ipswich The Free Rein developed Team Ipswich website (www.teamipswich.com [http://www.teamipswich.com]) has won the “Best Website” at the East Anglian PR Awards, organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). The judges commented “A great, user friendly site that has easy navigation, clear and attractive layout and a good range of content relevant to the target audience. Additions such as online surveys, video clips and third party content are all highly commendable." Free Rein has been a sponsor of the Team Ipswich project since its creation and along with Project PR and EMA design implemented the website. Karen Pickering, MBE, ambassador for sport in Ipswich, said, "Project PR, EMA Design and Free Rein have helped moved the whole campaign up a gear through producing a highly professional and creative website which will play a fundamental part in promoting Team Ipswich at national and international level. Its also a fabulous focus for everything that's happening in sport locally and will help inspire our future champions."