The ICT & Computing in Education website: purpose and target audience
The ICT & Computing in Education website is a niche UK-based website run by Terry Freedman Ltd. It was established in 1995 in order to provide information and advice to ICT Co-ordinators, Heads of Computing or ICT, and other ICT leaders and managers. The advice provided was considered to be of such a high quality that the then DfEE (now the Department for Education) included a link to it from its Bureaucracy Toolkit.
In 2004 the site was completely overhauled, and given a new interface and new functionality. However, its core purpose and target audience remained unchanged: to provide top quality information and advice to leaders and managers of ICT. In addition, content for teachers and users of educational ICT has also continued to be added.
The site was changed again in October 2009, to provide a better user experience in terms of finding relevant information quickly.
In October 2015, the site was moved to a mobile-friendly platform, and passes Google's mobility test 100%.
Content
The website consists mainly of articles, most of which relate to leading, managing or teaching Computing or ICT, or using technology. Even where an article is concerned primarily with something else, like a software application review or a website, it will often include a section that addresses leadership or management within that context.
Most of the articles are written by Terry Freedman, an internationally-recognised expert in the field. The remainder are either commissioned from experts or, on very rare occasions, taken from article databases on the internet. In the latter case, only articles which meet the highest standards of reliability and readability are used. In addition to the types of articles mentioned we also publish sponsored articles. These are articles which have been placed by a company, usually containing one or more case studies of how its product has been used. Again, only those articles meeting our stringent requirements are used.
Non-article content includes a newsletter, Digital Education, links to our books and ebooks (both free and paid-for), and video and audio files from time to time.
Search Engine Ranking
We rank consistently highly, ie on the first page of search results, for terms such as "ICT in education" and "ICT and computing in education".
Statistics
The ICT & Computing in Education website is aimed at leaders and managers of ICT, and teachers and users of ICT. Our statistics indicate that we are successful in attracting visitors and subscribers in that niche. A substantial number of subscribers either currently work for, or have recently worked for, local or central government agencies, mainly in the UK.
Please see the screenshot below for the most recent statistics. What the statistics do not convey is the fact that the ICT in Education website is viewed by a number of people currently or recently employed in UK Government agencies, Local Authorities and schools. Also, it is featured or referred to in periodicals such as the Times Education Supplement (TES).
The following screenshot shows the average visits statistics for the months of October and November (up to 20th November) 2015.
Website publicity
In addition to references to our website in the TES and other periodicals and blogs, as mentioned above, it is also referenced in other periodicals and websites for which Terry Freedman writes, such as Technology & Learning Blog, Information Technology in Developing Countries, as a guest blogger on other people’s blogs and other periodicals.
Because the content of the website is accessible through RSS feeds, and we encourage syndication of our free content, the ICT in Education website is well-known internationally as well as nationally.
Promotion of the website and newsletter is also carried out through postings in several internet groups and mailing lists, social networking and speaking engagements.
Advertising and sponsorship
Why advertise on the site or sponsor us?
By being featured on the ICT & Computing in Education site or in the Digital Education newsletter, you gain access to a niche audience of leaders and managers of educational ICT. As mentioned earlier, some of our regular visitors are well-placed in government organisations.
The newsletter is currently sent to over 4,200 people who have a professional interest in educational ICT and computing.
Website advertising
We accept up to two advertisements per month for the premium positions on the ICT in Education website’s front page.
Rates: From £50 + VAT per calendar month or 4 week period.
Newsletter sponsorship
The newsletter is produced on average once every 6 weeks. The newsletter is currently received by over 4,200 people. The Open Rate is around 28 to 30%, while the CTR is just over 5%. According to a survey we carried out, which was answered by over 12% of subscribers, the actual circulation of the newsletter or portions of it is higher because people circulate it to colleagues. We have also found that people refer to articles in the newsletter online, for example in Twitter.
Each edition of the newsletter is made available to non-subscribers as soon as it is published, and is available from the ICT & Computing in Education website and via RSS feed. Each edition of the newsletter remains accessible indefinitely from the website.
Newsletter sponsorship rate: £50+ VAT per issue.
Sponsored articles
We accept sponsored articles of up to 600 words consisting of case studies of how a product or service has been used to good effect in the leading or management of educational ICT. Such articles remain on the website until further notice, and are searchable. They will appear under the heading ‘Sponsored Article’.
Web sponsored article rate: £50 + VAT.
We also accept sponsored articles for the newsletter at a rate of £50 + VAT per issue.
Combination packages
Because there are quite a few possible combinations, please contact us for rates for combination packages, such as newsletter sponsorship and a website advertisement running concurrently.
Other sponsorship opportunities
We are continually developing and expanding our content. One very successful development recently has been the distribution of free ebooks. Our most recent free ebook published on 14th March 2010 had been downloaded 40,196 times by 7 January 2012, in addition to an unknown quantity downloaded from other people’s websites and thousands of views online. See here for just some of the feedback we have received about the book:
Another booklet, on Every Child Matters, was read and used by an estimated 3,000 people, whilst another, on the use of Web 2.0 tools in education, was read by an estimated minimum of 60,000 people.
If you would be interested in sponsoring future publications, please contact us:
Summary
- Website advertisement (1 month) – banner up to 600 px x 60 px £100.00 + VAT
- Website sponsored article (1 month) £100.00 + VAT
- Newsletter sponsorship (per issue): includes banner (“Sponsored by...” and advertisement £100.00 + VAT
- Newsletter advertisement (1 issue) – up to10 lines £100.00 + VAT
- Newsletter sponsored article (1 issue) £100.00 + VAT
- Special publications: please enquire for details of forthcoming publications and rates.
Terms and conditions
Our payment terms are usually as follows, unless otherwise agreed in advance: an invoice will be emailed each month in arrears, with a 30 day payment period.
Please note that advertisers and sponsors must comply with all legal and regulatory requirements. By submitting an advertisement or other form of sponsorship you agree to these conditions, which, in essence (to use the ASA's terminology), are that advertisements must be legal, decent, honest and truthful. Advertisers and sponsors are solely responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on the site complies with all legal and regulatory requirements and does not contain any material which is objectionable including, without limit, information which is defamatory, obscene, threatening or untrue.
By submitting an advertisement or other form of sponsorship you agree to these conditions, and that you undertake to indemnify Terry Freedman Ltd against any liability arising from any breach of confidentiality, copyright or other intellectual property right resulting from articles or other materials submitted for publication by you. You further undertake to indemnify Terry Freedman Ltd against all damages, losses, claims and costs (including without limitation all expenses incurred in conducting or defending any proceedings) resulting from materials submitted for publication by you.
Advertisements should also appear and behave as they are expected to before being submitted for inclusion on the website or in the newsletter.
Except to the extent specified in the paragraph below, Terry Freedman Ltd shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the advertiser (or buyer, where the buyer is the person or company placing the advertisement) as a result of any total or partial failure (howsoever caused) of publication, distribution or availability of any Medium in which any advertisement is scheduled to be included or for any error, misprint or omission in the printing of any advertisement. In the event of an error or omission by Terry Freedman Ltd, which detracts materially from the advertisement, Terry Freedman Ltd will either reinsert the Advertisement or relevant part of the advertisement in a subsequent issue or make a reasonable refund of or adjustment to the price paid by the advertiser or buyer. No reinsertion, refund or adjustment will be made for any other error or omission or where the error or omission is the result of delivery of materials which do not comply with Terry Freedman Ltd’s specifications.
The total liability of Terry Freedman Ltd to the advertiser or buyer for any act or omission of Terry Freedman Ltd, its servants or agents relating to any advertisement shall not exceed the amount of a full refund of any price paid to Terry Freedman Ltd for the advertisement or the cost of a reasonably comparable further or corrective advertisement. Without limiting the foregoing, Terry Freedman Ltd shall not be liable for any loss of profits or business or for indirect or consequential loss. Terry Freedman Ltd accepts no liability for the repetition of an error in an advertisement ordered for more than one insertion unless notified immediately the error occurs. Complaints regarding reproduction of published advertisements must be received in writing within one calendar month of the cover date.
Terry Freedman Ltd accepts no responsibility for the quality of reproduction of any photograph supplied in connection with an article or advertisement.