Privacy Policy
Welcome to the Online Privacy Policy of this Site, hereinafter referred to as “we,” “our,” or “us.” Your privacy on the Internet is of the utmost importance to us. At this site, we want to make your experience online satisfying and safe. Our mission is to connect you and your family to the best resources and most up-to-date information every day.
Because we gather certain types of information about our users, we feel you should fully understand our privacy policy and the terms and conditions surrounding the capture and use of that information. This privacy statement discloses what information we gather and how we use it.
By submitting your information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this E-Consent Policy.
Information This Site Gathers
This site collects various types of personal information when provided voluntarily by our users. The types of personal information we collect include:
- First and last name
- Street address, including city, state, and zip code
- Email addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Housing, education, and marital status
- Other information provided by users
- IP address, device, and user agent
Additionally, this site collects certain information during or after your visit, as detailed below:
- User traffic information on our website
- Information indicating that a member has completed a transaction on a third-party website, referred by us at the member’s request
How This Site Gathers Information
This site gathers information from users through various methods, including:
- Voluntary Submissions: Users provide information voluntarily when signing up for our website, subscribing to our electronic newsletters, participating in message boards or forums, sending emails to friends, and participating in polls, comments, and surveys.
- Services Requiring Voluntary Submission: We offer optional free services that require users to submit personal information, such as email addresses, to access these services. These services include:
- Electronic newsletters (Dispatches)
- Message boards/forums
- “Email this to a friend” feature
- Polling/comments
- Surveys
- Information Gathered Through Aggregated Tracking: We collect data by tallying page views across our site, helping us understand our readers’ needs and enabling our sponsors to better understand our audience’s demographics. This tracking does not identify individual users.
- Pixel Notifications of Transactions: When a user completes a transaction on a third-party website referred by us at the user’s request, we receive pixel notifications confirming the transaction. This notification does not include personal information other than the transaction confirmation.
- Cookies: We may place a “cookie” text file in your computer’s browser files. These cookies do not collect personal information but enable us to relate your site usage to information you’ve knowingly provided. Cookies only contain information you supply yourself and cannot read data from your hard disk or other sites’ cookie files. We use cookies to track user traffic patterns.
- Google Analytics and Remarketing: We utilize Google Analytics to understand visitor interactions with our website, but this data collection remains anonymous. For more information on Google Analytics and opting out, please refer to the provided links.
Use of Information
This site uses the information described above for various purposes, including:
- Enhancing user experiences and providing personalized content
- Sending electronic newsletters and enabling user participation in polls, surveys, message boards, and forums
- Determining whether a member has completed a transaction on a third-party website as requested by the member
- Creating aggregate reports on user demographics and traffic patterns for advertisers, sponsors, and partners
- Complying with applicable laws, legal processes, and ensuring the safety of our users and the public
Sharing of Information
Email addresses and phone numbers are collected solely for site-related purposes, and we do not share them with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes. All other categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.
Adherence to the National Do Not Call Registry
Consumers possess the privilege of including their phone numbers in the National Do Not Call Registry. This registry typically pertains to any initiative involving the promotion of goods or services through telephone communication. In situations where a company maintains a pre-existing business association with a consumer, they are permitted to engage with that consumer for an extended period of eighteen (18) months following their most recent purchase, delivery, or payment. Additionally, the company may also reach out to the consumer for up to three (3) months after the consumer initiates contact or submits an inquiry or application, regardless of whether the consumer’s number is listed on the National Do Not Call Registry.
Opt-Out Policy
We provide users with choices and options where practical and necessary. Users can opt-out of certain features by not registering for our website, not subscribing to electronic newsletters or emails, and not participating in interactive areas like message boards, forums, surveys, or polls.
Opt-Out / Opt-In Procedures for Communication
We may promote product and service offerings via email, SMS text messages, or telephone to users who explicitly agree to be contacted through our Site’s online forms or opt-in process. Members can unsubscribe from receiving such communications at any time. To remove your information from our database and cease receiving future communications, please specify your details via email. Email addresses and phone numbers received in opt-out requests will be added to our internal Do-Not-Contact registry within ten days, unless we receive further communication from you indicating your consent to receive communications from us.
Security
This site operates secure data networks protected by industry-standard firewall and password protection systems. Our security and privacy policies undergo periodic reviews and enhancements as required, and only authorized individuals have access to member-provided information.
Children
In compliance with the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), we do not knowingly request nonpublic personally identifiable information from individuals under the age of 13 without parental consent. Users are required to provide their date of birth at registration, and individuals under 18 are not allowed to enroll as site users.
California Privacy Rights
Residents of California can request information about the categories of information shared with third parties as well as the entities receiving the information. California residents can also opt out of having their information shared with third parties. We comply with the opt-out option. Please refer to the OPT-OUT POLICY section for more details.
California “Do Not Track” Law
“Do Not Track” signals from users’ browsers aren’t honored. Except as described in connection with Google Analytics, we do not collect or authorize the collection of nonpublic personally identifiable information about users’ online activities.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
This page will be updated whenever our privacy policy is changed to keep users informed of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it.
Third-Party Data Sharing
To improve your overall experience, we work together with advertising and analytics partners and provide access to your information to trusted service providers. There are situations where we may need to disclose your data, such as during business transfers or due to legal obligations. Rest assured, we will never contact you for marketing purposes unless we have obtained your explicit consent.
Consent to Data Collection:
When you utilize this website, you are providing your voluntary agreement to the gathering and utilization of your personal data as outlined in this document. Your consent is entirely optional, and data collection takes place only when it is contractually necessary, legally obligatory, or for marketing reasons.
In cases where it’s required by law, explicit consent will be requested. Users hold the right to decline the provision of data and to request access to or deletion of the data that has been collected at any given moment. Nevertheless, if you decline to provide data that is contractually necessary or legally mandated, it may impact our ability to provide products or services to you.
Agreement for SMS, Text & Push Notifications
When you provide your information, including your name, email address, and phone number, it is automatically included in our contact database. Unless you decide to opt out of any or all of these communication channels, you hereby consent to receive messages from us via phone, email, or text. As long as your agreement to receive these communications remains in effect, you will continue to receive them.
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
The information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it will be updated on this page whenever our policy changes.