The legislation denotes it is the website owner’s responsibility to make sure their website complies with this law.  The Information Commissioner initially introduced these rules changes on cookies were back in May 2011 but these have subsequently been in a review and a grace period for the past 12 months.

Due to recent updates it is now clear that these changes will in fact now becoming enforced from the end of May this year, with the Information Commissioner considering complaints about cookies in line with his normal approach to complaint handling under the Regulations. This will involve in most cases contacting the organisation responsible in the first instance and asking them to respond to the complaint and explain what steps they have taken to comply with these rules. If no action is taken by the infringing website owner, further enforcements can be made by the commissioner including monetary fines.

For full information on the new UK cookie legislation we have a handy guide provided by the ICC United Kingdom (International Chamber of Commerce). You can download this guide by visiting the following link:
www.bitly.com/icc-cookie-guide

To begin with let us confirm what Cookies actually are:

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information which are downloaded to your device (desktop computer or mobile device) when you visit a website. Cookies are then sent back to the originating website on each subsequent visit, or to another website that recognises that cookie. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user’s device.

Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, remembering your preferences, and generally improve the user experience. They can also help to ensure that adverts you see online are more relevant to you and your interests.

Cookies can be broken down in to 4 categories:

Category 1: strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services you have asked for, like shopping baskets or e-billing, cannot be provided.

Category 2: performance cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. These cookies don’t collect information that identifies a visitor. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. It is only used to improve how a website works. These cookies are most commonly used for creating analytics data (ie. Google Analytics).

Category 3: functionality cookies

These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and provide enhanced, more personal features. For instance, a website may be able to provide you with local weather reports or traffic news by storing in a cookie the region in which you are currently located. These cookies can also be used to remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages that you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Category 4: targeting cookies or advertising cookies

These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organisations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organisation.

How this affects you, the website owner:

Depending on the cookies your website uses you will be required to implement different levels of consent requests and resolutions. Where consent is required, the law states that it should be “informed consent”. This increases the onus on websites to ensure that visitors understand what cookies are and why website operators and others want to use them.


Possible cookie resolution options:

Category 1: strictly necessary cookies:


User consent is not required for the delivery of those cookies which are strictly necessary to provide services requested by the user. However, it is important to give users the opportunity to understand these cookies and the reasons they are used.

Action required:

• Update Privacy Policy with a paragraph of text explaining what cookies are and how they are used on your site.

Category 2: performance cookies:


Web analytics that use cookies to gather data to enhance the performance of a website fall into this category. For example, they may be used for testing designs and ensuring a consistent look and feel is maintained for the user. They may also be used to track the effectiveness of ‘pay-per-click’ and affiliate advertising, but where the same cookies are used for retargeting they must be included in category 4 as well. This category does not include cookies used for behavioral/ targeted advertising networks.

Action required:

• Update Privacy Policy with a paragraph of text explaining what cookies are and how they are used on your site.

Category 3: functionality cookies:


These cookies are used to remember customer selections that change the way the site behaves or looks. It might also include cookies that are used to deliver a specific function, but where that function includes cookies used for behavioral/targeted advertising networks they must be included in category 4 as well as this category.

Action required:

• Update Privacy Policy with a paragraph of text explaining what cookies are and how they are used on your site.

   

• Add a “cookies information” link in the footer or header of your site that takes the user to the specific cookie usage information detailed in your privacy policy.

   

• Add “opt in” consent via tick box or button with specific wording asking them for their consent. Example wording: “When you choose this option/setting, you agree that we can place customisation cookies on your device”.

Category 4: targeting cookies or advertising cookies:


These cookies collect the most information about users, so where the website operator is responsible for setting a targeting or advertising cookie it is important to obtain a clear informed consent from the user to their use. It is the party setting the cookie that is required by law to obtain the consent of the user but this is not always practical. Where a third party sets targeting or advertising cookies with the permission of the website operator, the website operator may

Action required:

• Update Privacy Policy with a paragraph of text explaining what cookies are and how they are used on your site including any involvement with a third party association.

   

• Add a “cookies information” link in the footer or header of your site that takes the user to the specific cookie usage information detailed in your privacy policy.
   
• Present on first entering the website an opt in consent menu (via a pop-up information box which will require them to click a button). Wording should be presented asking them for their consent to use cookies. Example wording: “We would like to place (type of cookie explained) cookies on your computer to help us make this website better. To find out more about the cookies, see our privacy policy”.

              
Questions and Support:

If you have any questions or would like Rubious to help implement your Cookies Legislation update on your site then please contact us on 01473 356403 or email info@rubious.co.uk.

Please Note: The information in this email is not a statement of the law and does not constitute legal advice. The information should be used as an initial overview about the new cookie legislation. Website operators are responsible for their own compliance strategies, depending on the cookies they use and the nature of the website.

Martello Associates provides a wide range of impartial services designed to help Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) get the best out of their websites, social media and eCommerce marketing. The website acts as a reference point to all the services and events. A key element of the site was to allow users to book chosen events online.

Complete with secure payment processing users can view course dates and venues. Once a booking is submitted an automated process sends confirmation emails to the customer and Martello Associates. Customers also have access to a customer login area where they gain access to additional information and offers.

How it works

We’ve ensured that we have the easiest to use email marketing system. You can create your first campaign in under 4 minutes and add your logo to one of our free templates to get you up and running without the help of a designer or coder.

All you need to do is add your subscriber list (recipients), write the content, and then, simply, pay for delivery. If you have any questions you can contact us for support.

Delivery costs suitable for all budgets

Our email marketing system is flexible enough to meet the needs of any company, from a small start-up to a large corporation. From Pay As You Go pricing to unlimited monthly subscriptions, we have pricing options available for everyone.

Upgrades available

If you’re happy to use one of the free templates we have provided, then you can continue to send emails at our fantastic low pricing model for as long as you need, but if you decide to take a more customised approach, then we have upgrades for you.

For example, we can design a header for your email tailor the colours and add your address so you won’t need to keep re-entering it for a fixed price of just £50.

If you need something more unique, like one of the beautiful bespoke designs we have created, please get in touch with us for a quote. Prices start at £350.

Taking advantage of Rubious’ bespoke email marketing template design service they can now create monthly email newsletters on the fly at the fraction of the cost before. Their bespoke template gives them the ability to choose from various content layouts, ranging from simple text and image combinations to league tables and image galleries. 

To compliment the newsletter Ipswich Rugby Club also commissioned a separate template that is designed to act as simple notifications for members. These take the form of the “In Contact” template that can be seen in the gallery. 

TopGolf is an international golf entertainment company with venues around USA and UK, combining innovative point scoring golf games with good food and musical entertainment.

With the launch of their new TopGolf Nights website, a branded Facebook Page was seen as the perfect medium to reach their target audience of modern, connected young adults and to get them talking about their experiences at TopGolf Nights events.

The multiple pages available on the Facebook site include interactive competitions, games, news and event details. Visitors can upload photos and videos to be shown on the site. TopGolf staff can log in to the iRuby CMS and update the content of the pages from there, giving them complete control.

Rubious have been extremely helpful throughout the project and delivered our new website on budget, also producing a great mobile version to run alongside the main website. They have given us clear guidance and a tailored online manual so that we can keep our website up-to-date and manage the content independently. 

[Update: Our email marketing system is now FREE to sign up, so you can try out the easiest email marketing system for yourself. Sign up now.]

Email marketing is a great way to drive sales and develop personal relationships with your customers for little outlay. Many businesses though are put off by taking the plunge as they think that email marketing systems are difficult to use and that you need to be a professional graphic designer to produce great looking newsletters. The reality is that some systems out there are complex, requiring knowledge of HTML and lots of patience to use.

Our competitors' email systems can be difficult to use...

Luckily for you not all systems are like that – the Rubious Email Marketing System is so easy and simple to use. Once your account is setup and your template built you can be creating and sending eye catching email campaigns in under 4 minutes!

We at Rubious will design and set up your email template on your behalf, and add content areas you can type in, add pictures to, and rearrange. If you have a bespoke template designed by Rubious you will be able to select from a range of layout options giving your campaigns variety and a fresh appeal.

When creating your campaign all your changes are shown in real time, meaning you don’t have to keep sending yourself a preview as you build. Once you have finished adding the content to your campaign you can send yourself a test email straight to your own inbox to check the end result before sending out to your recipients.

Our scheduling options means you can spend a few minutes making several campaigns and then spread their delivery throughout the week. Once they’re delivered you’ll start seeing results and statistics immediately, and in real-time.

Take a look at one of recent case studies exploring how they use their email marketing system to great effect:

Crafty Crocodiles

To learn more about Email Marketing click a feature below:

Managing Subscribers

Email and Spam Testing

Reliable Delivery

Advanced Reporting

Packages and Pricing

Crafty Crocodiles was founded in 2009, specialising in the arts and crafts market for children. With a small, highly professional team with an extensive knowledge they now offer over 1000 products to their ever-expanding customer base of arts and crafts groups, schools, playgroups, church groups and consumers both in the UK and overseas.

Email Marketing was the perfect tool for keeping in touch with their established customer base, giving them the ability to

• Highlight key products
• Promote new additions to their database
• Offer specialised targeted promotions

To compliment this they commission Rubious to design and build a bespoke email marketing template. This took the form of a monthly newsletter. The template allows SoccerKidz to showcase courses, special offers and also highlight any important news relating to a course – such as changes in start times and cancelations.

The result now means parents are now fully kept informed about changes, with excellent feedback already received, SoccerKidz goes from strength to strength.