Before we start I would first like to bring to your attention that this website runs using WordPress of which is owned by a company called Automattic which also own a number of services I can use through this website such as Jetpack, Akismet and others, you can view their Privacy Policy here.
Here at The Weekly Rambler privacy matters and I take it very seriously as everyone should, both morally and by law.
You should have been notified that this website uses cookies to track its users activity on this website on a Cookie consent banner that pops up on the screen, further on in this Policy I will describe what cookies this website uses and why. Continued usage of this website past the cookie banner indicates acceptance of these cookies. Further down though there are options to opt out of Google Adsense cookie tracking as well as options to opt out of analytical tracking cookies.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information downloaded to your computer or mobile device when visiting a certain webpage and are used to track users activities on this website be it comments you leave, pages you visit or the links on this website that you click on and it gives information on how this website can be adapted to how others use it and also information to how 3rd party plugins or the social media connections I use can make changes and improvements for user experience. No personally identifiable credentials or information are collected or stored through this, the information is aggregated and anonymised.
Cookies remain on your device for different amounts of time, session cookies only exist while your browser is open and are deleted once closed. There are also persistent cookies that survive even after you close the browser, these enable the website to recognise when you browse the internet again (such as Advertisement/Tracking Cookies). These can be limited/disabled in browser settings or by opting out of cookies using the options below. Most Persistent Cookies have an expiration date and will be deleted there after it passes, the average Persistent Cookie lasts for one to two years, but you can remove them at any time as is your right.
If you do not wish to have your activity on this website tracked using cookies you do have the right to disable cookies in your browser settings or change your settings that tell you when cookies are active or by opting out of cookies further down this Privacy Policy, if you choose to limit/disable cookies in your browser it may limit your ability to use features on this website and certain parts of the website may not function correctly.
I also use Google Analytics on this website, this is a 3rd party service that uses cookies to enable me to see what content does best on my blog, when traffic is highest and lowest and where the traffic is coming from. This service does not in any way identify individuals and no attempt is made by me or Google to attempt to find out the identities of those visiting this website, the data that is collected, processed and stored by Google Analytics is secure and kept confidential as the information is aggregated and anonymised. The usage data they collect is shared with Google’s products and services to help them improve these things. Anonymous data is also contributed to an aggregate data set to enable features like Benchmarking and Publication that can help me understand data trends. You can learn more by viewing their Privacy Policy here.
For WordPress websites Google Analytics works through the MonsterInsights plugin and you can view their Privacy Policy here.
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by going here.
The Jetpack plugin also has analytical features I can use for similar purposes and again you can access their Privacy Policy through the cookie banner or here where it also shows you how you can opt out of its analytical tracking.
More In-depth on Cookies
Here I will list the different types of cookies, what they do and if they are used on this website or not.
- Essential Cookies (needed for essential website purposes.) (1st party cookies)
Pretty much every website uses essential cookies as it enables the website to actually function. It provides you with the website and any services used through it. This website uses them. Limiting or disabling these on this website will very likely cause you problems with using my website and its features.
- Functionality Cookies (1st party cookies)
These cookies record information on the choices you make on the website and it allows a website to be tailored towards these changes. For example these cookies show you that you are logged in! Most websites will have them in some capacity. This website uses them since WordPress uses them, which is what I built this website with. Disabling or limiting these cookies will cause certain features not to work.
- Performance/Analytics Cookies (3rd party cookies)
These 3rd party cookies allow me to understand my readers and website visitors better for example the content they view, when traffic is highest and lowest, what is most and least interacted with and where traffic is coming from. This allows me to make better content and change up the website to fit in with the analytic data trends. It can also show me errors with performance on the website so I can make changes to correct this. Google Analytics (through MonsterInsights) and the Jetpack plugin are both analytical and performance tools I use that have these cookies. There are links above in how you can opt out.
- Advertsing/Tracking Cookies (3rd party cookies)
On this website I will be using Google Adsense that will show advertisements on my website, which gives both Google and me some profit when they are interacted with by users on this website and will help me to pay for hosting costs and daily needs. These cookies are used by Google and their 3rd party partners through advertisements to track what advertisements you have seen across many websites so they can tailor specific ads to you based on your interactions. These cookies also track your activity so they can show you relevant advertisements to do with your recent browsing activity. These cookies are anonymous so they may track what you do but they do not store any personal information about you.
These cookies can also tell how many times you have seen a particular advertisement so they can then change it up.
You can opt out of Google’s ad personilzation tracking here and opt out of 3rd party ad personilzation here. You will still see adverts on this website if you opt out, but the adverts won’t be specifically tailored to you as they will not have that information.
- Social Media Cookies (3rd Party Cookies)
Many pages on our website feature social media buttons that allow you to share content, these buttons when used will record that you have used them, this is so they can track the success of applications and customize applications for you. Since these are not actually cookies I directly use I am unable to access the information within them and so do not benefit me in any way, they can also not access information on cookies used by this website. Also note that some content on this website may feature embedded videos from Youtube for example and these may have their own cookies. Do not interact with these features if you don’t want cookies.
Subscribing, Registering and E-Mail
The Jetpack Plugin allows you to subscribe to my blog for free, what this means is you’ll recieve notifications for my latest blogposts. I do not have access to your e-mail through this and it is instead stored by Jetpack, of which you can read their Privacy Policy from the banner that appears at the bottom of the screen. You can easily opt out of this subscription at any time by clicking the ‘Unsubscribe’ button at the bottom of any of the recieved notification e-mails. Within comments you can also ask to be notified by E-mail of addtional comments or new posts by ticking the boxes, again this can be opt out of in the same way.
I do not yet enable a feature for users to login, but users can post comments on my blogposts by providing an email and username, your email will not be shown to others who browser the website. Content you post on my website is at your own discretion, but make sure to read the Terms of Service to know what is and is not accepted.
In the future when I start E-mail lists to my readers I promise to never hand over or sell any of your E-mail Addresses to any single person or entity. All E-mails sent to me will be stritcly confidential and not shared/sold with/to anyone or entity. Again this goes for all personal information and credentials. I will only add you to an e-mail list if I have your direct consent and you will easily be able to opt out at any time by contacting me.
Personal Information/Credentials
You are not at all obliged to provide any personal information/credentials to this website, all it means if you are not willing to provide certain information then you may not be able to use certain features on this website and certain parts of the website may not function correctly. I promise never to sell, trade or rent any of your personal information or credentials that you have submitted to the website to anyone or any entity. You should never publicly post any of your personal information, credentials, email etc on my website.
When you register an account to my website I have access to its e-mail and also have the ability to change its password (but I cannot see the password you have set) and user role. As always I promise to not disclose this information and I will not change any of it unless you have asked me to along with proof of it being your account. User Roles allow users to have more permissions, every new member is a subscriber which means they can comment on my blogposts. I have no plans on giving other users any website accounts or User Roles at this time but if I did it would be with your consent.
You have the ability through user settings on any website account to change all of your own settings including your password. I am able to delete any website accounts I give to people for any reason I so choose. If I am making an account for you, then you must specify that you do not agree with this and I will promptly cease making you an account or I will delete your account/not make you an account if you specify you do not agree with this Privacy Policy or the websites Terms of Service.
Changes and Contact
The privacy policy will be reviewed and updated when needed and the date at the bottom of this page will say when it was last updated. So make sure to check this page from time to time for any Privacy Policy changes.
If you have any concerns about your privacy on this website feel free to e-mail me about it at theweeklyrambler@hotmail.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
This page was last updated on 10th January 2020.