Privacy Policy: 

Finding Kathy Brown found at https://findingkathybrown.com/ (“Website”) is governed by the following privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”).

We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you what personally identifiable information we may collect and how it may be used. This statement only applies to this Website.

Thank you for participating in the Finding Kathy Brown community.

WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT AND HOW IS IT USED?

Information You Voluntarily Submit to the Website: We may collect personal information from you such as your name or email address. For example, you may voluntarily submit information to the Website by subscribing to a newsletter or submitting a contact form. In addition, you are able to create a user profile, which allows you to create a username and password. We will store the username, but your password will not be visible in our records.

Information We Collect from Others: We may receive information about you from other sources.  You may link your Facebook, Instagram, and/or Google accounts to your user profile.  If you choose to link your Facebook, Instagram, and/or Google accounts to your user profile, we will receive your name, email address and profile picture associated with that account.

Automatically-Collected Information: We automatically collect certain information about you and the device with which you access the Website. For example, when you use the Website, we will log your IP address, operating system type, browser type, referring website, pages you viewed, and the dates/times when you accessed the Website. We may also collect information about actions you take when using the Website, such as links clicked.

We aren’t doing this to be creepy but to better understand our readers and the posts that interest them. Basically, tracking articles lets us know what people are reading and, well, what was a waste of time to write! (I’m always bummed out when a post isn’t interesting to readers, but it helps me better tailor the content on the site.)

Cookies: We may log information using cookies, which are small data files stored on your browser by the Website. We may use both session cookies, which expire when you close your browser, and persistent cookies, which stay on your browser until deleted, to provide you with a more personalized experience on the Website.

There’s good news about these cookies! First, they are 100% calorie free! Second, they help you navigate the site better by tracking the posts that interest you. So, if you come back to the site to reread a post (I hope you do), the post will pop up in your search bar as you type. See? Cookies can be good for you!

HOW YOUR INFORMATION MAY BE USED

We may use the information collected in the following ways:

• To operate and maintain the Website;
• To create your account, identify you as a user of the Website, and customize the Website for your account;
• To send you promotional information, such as newsletters. Each email promotion will provide information on how to opt-out of future mailings;
• To send you administrative communications, such as administrative emails, confirmation emails, technical notices, updates on policies, or security alerts;
• To respond to your comments or inquiries;
• To provide you with user support;
• To track and measure advertising on the Website;
• To protect, investigate, and deter against unauthorized or illegal activity.

THIRD-PARTY USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may share your information with third parties when you explicitly authorize us to share your information.

Additionally, the Website may use third-party service providers to service various aspects of the Website. Each third-party service provider’s use of your personal information is dictated by their respective privacy policies.

The Website currently uses the following third-party service providers:

Google Analytics – this service tracks Website usage and provides information such as referring websites and user actions on the Website. Google Analytics may capture your IP address, but no other personal information is captured by Google Analytics. The information in Google Analytics really helps this Website be a better resource for you. I rely on it to know how the content of this site is working for my readers.

Mail Chimp – this service is used for delivery of email updates and newsletters. We store your name and email address for purposes of delivering such communications.  Please refer to Mail Chimp’s privacy policy for further information. You can unsubscribe from receiving emails at any time using the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the post.

Plug Ins – To allow easy sharing of the content of this blog (after all, sharing is caring), plug ins on this site including those buttons you click to share the post to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+ (the “addthis” plug in) and Google Adsense (which I use to monetize the blog so I can pay my expenses) use cookies to track what you share to other sites or click on. I don’t think the internet would work without cookies, but you may opt out of non-essential cookie tracking whenever you’d like.

Except when required by law, we will not sell, distribute, or reveal your email addresses or other personal information without your consent; however, we may disclose or transfer personal information collected through the Website to third parties who acquire all or a portion of our business, which may be the result of a merger, consolidation, or purchase of all or a portion of our assets, or in connection with any bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding brought by or against us.

ANONYMOUS DATA

From time to time, we may use anonymous data, which does not identify you alone, or when combined with data from other parties. This type of anonymous data may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses. Examples of this anonymous data may include analytics or information collected from cookies.

PUBLICLY VISIBLE INFORMATION

If you create a user profile on the Website, certain information may be publicly visible.  To create a user profile, you must choose a username and password and input your email address for profile confirmation.  Your email address will never be available publicly.  At your option, you may also add an avatar, a profile description, and a link to your website.

You may also choose to link your Facebook, Instagram, and Google Account.

Users may see your username, avatar, profile description and website information.

COOKIES

The Website uses cookies to store visitors’ preferences, record user-specific information on what pages users access or visit, ensure that visitors are not repeatedly sent the same banner ads, customize Website content based on visitors’ browser type or other information that the visitor sends. Cookies may also be used by third-party services, such as Google Analytics, as described herein.

Users may, at any time, prevent the setting of cookies, by the Website, by using a corresponding setting of your internet browser and may thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Furthermore, already set cookies may be deleted at any time via an Internet browser or other software programs. This is possible in all popular Internet browsers. However, if users deactivate the setting of cookies in your Internet browser, not all functions of our Website may be entirely usable.

ADVERTISING

Display Ads

We may use third-party advertising companies to serve content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use cookies, as noted above.

Retargeting Ads

From time to time, the Website may engage in remarketing efforts with third-party companies, such as Google, Facebook, or Instagram, in order to market the Website. These companies use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to the Website.

Affiliate Program Participation

The Website may engage in affiliate marketing, which is done by embedding tracking links into the Website. If you click on a link for an affiliate partnership, a cookie will be placed on your browser to track any sales for purposes of commissions.

I always disclose those partnerships through identifying sponsored posts, so that you will know the links include tracking. Those trackers don’t tell me what you purchase (I can’t keep track of that at home, much less all of you), but they do allow me to receive the earned commission. Make sense?

Finding Kathy Brown is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and links to Amazon.com.  As part of this Amazon Associates program, the Website will post customized links, provided by Amazon, to track the referrals to their website. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purpose of assigning commissions on these sales.

Finding Kathy Brown also works with Commission Junction (CJ) marketing, another affiliate advertising program to generate sales leads. As part of the Commission Junction program, the Website will post customized links, provided by them, to track the referrals to their website. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purpose of assigning commission on these sales.

Newsletters

On the Website, you may subscribe to our newsletter, which may be used for advertising purposes — but mostly, I use it to let you know what’s new on the blog. All newsletters sent may contain tracking pixels. The pixel is embedded in emails and allows an analysis of the success of online marketing campaigns. Because of these tracking pixels, we may see if and when you open an email and which links within the email you click. Also, this allows the Website to adapt the content of future newsletters to the interests of the user. This behavior will not be passed on to third parties.

RIGHTS RELATED TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Opt-out – You may opt out of future email communications by following the unsubscribe links in our emails. You may also notify us at Findingkathybrown.com to be removed from our mailing list.

Access – You may access the personal information we have about you by submitting a request to Findingkathybrown@gmail.com

Amend – You may contact us at Findingkathybrown@gmail.com to amend or update your personal information.

Forget – In certain situations, you may request that we erase or forget your data. To do so, please submit a request to Findingkathybrown@gmail.com.

Please note that we may need to retain certain information for recordkeeping purposes or to complete transactions, or when required by law.

SENSITIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION

At no time should you submit sensitive personal information to the Website. This includes your social security number, information regarding race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health information, criminal background, or trade union memberships. If you elect to submit such information to us, it will be subject to this Privacy Policy.

CHILDREN’S INFORMATION

The Website does not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 16. If a parent or guardian believes that the Website has personally identifiable information of a child under the age of 16 in its database, please contact us immediately at Findingkathybrown@gmail.com and we will use our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.

CONTACT INFORMATION

At any time, please contact us at Findingkathybrown@gmail.com for questions related to this Privacy Policy.