TYPES OF INFORMATION WE COLLECT. We use the information gathered to better understand your needs, to improve the contents of our web pages and to monitor technical performance of our network.
The information we gather falls into two categories: (1) information voluntarily supplied by users to the Site through optional registration; and (2) tracking information gathered as users navigate through the Site.
We may collect and store information, personal or otherwise, that you voluntarily supply either while using our Site or in responding via email in connection with a feature provided on our Site. Some examples of this type of information include demographic information and personal information (such as your name, address, or email address, along with profile information such as a password or passphrase) that you electronically submit to Us for purposes such as registration for certain features on our Site, signing up for email newsletters, completing surveys or entering sweepstakes, or posting on message boards or other public posting areas on our Site. We may also ask for information (including a credit card number) from users who make a purchase or conduct other transactions on our Site. The information supplied helps us to provide the product or service requested, offer you more personalized features, and tailor the Site to your interests. Supplying such information is entirely voluntary. However, if you choose not to supply information requested, we may be unable to provide you with services offered to users of the Site.
We also may collect and store information that is generated automatically as you navigate through our Site. For example, to help make the Site more responsive to the needs of users, we employ a standard feature of browser software called a “cookie” to assign each user a unique, random number that resides on a user’s computer. The cookie does not personally identify the user; it merely identifies the computer with which the user accesses the Site. Unless a user voluntarily identifies himself or herself (through registration, for example), the Site will not be able to ascertain the identity of the user, even if a cookie is assigned to a user’s computer. The only personal information a cookie can contain is information supplied by a user. By showing how and when visitors use the Site, cookies help us track user trends and patterns. They also prevent you from having to re-enter your preferences on certain areas of the Site where you have entered preference information previously. Of course, you are free to set your web browser to disable cookies; however, doing so may render your computer unable to take advantage of the personalized features enjoyed by other users of the Site.
We also may use web beacons and other methods to access cookies and to count users who visit our Site or open our HTML-formatted email messages. Our Site’s servers automatically collect limited information about your computer’s connection to the Internet, including your IP address. The IP address is a number that lets computers attached to the Internet know where to send data such as the web pages users view. An IP address does not personally identify a user. We use this information to deliver the Site’s content to you upon request and to measure traffic within the Site.
USE AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION. We use the information we collect in a variety of ways, including using the information to customize features and advertising that appear on the Site. We also may provide your information to third parties, such as service providers, contractors, and sponsors, for a variety of purposes.
You agree that we may use your information to contact you for customer service purposes, to inform you of important changes or additions to our Site or the services offered over our Site, and to send you administrative notices, offers and any other communications that we believe may be of interest to you. You may withdraw your permission and prevent our use of your information in this manner by contacting us using the contact information below.
Please bear in mind that whenever you voluntarily make your personal information available for viewing by third parties online – for example on ratings and reviews or through email – that information can be seen, collected and used by others besides us. We cannot be responsible for any unauthorized third-party use of such information.
Please be aware that we may occasionally release information about users when release is appropriate to comply with law or to enforce or protect the rights, property or safety of other users of our Site, the public or us.
MODIFYING YOUR INFORMATION AND OPTING OUT. If you register with us, you will have the opportunity to review, update, change or delete the information you have provided to us (and that we continue to store) at any time. Please contact us by phone, email, or postal mail using the information below.
STORAGE OF INFORMATION. All information gathered on our Site is stored within a database accessible only by us. We will use industry standard measures, including encryption where appropriate. However, as effective as the reasonable security measures we implement may be, no security system is impenetrable. We cannot guarantee the security of our database, nor can we guarantee that information supplied will not be intercepted while being transmitted over the Internet. To the extent permitted by law, in no event shall we be liable for the deletion, loss, or unauthorized modification of any of your information.