What Are Cookies
As with the majority of professional websites Online today, our website uses ‘cookies’.
Cookies are tiny text files that usually contain a string of characters and are basically downloaded onto a visitor’s computer or mobile device. These cookies then identify your computer or mobile device and are used to try and enhance your user experience. These cookies store a range of information which is usually specific information to the individual visitor, the computer or mobile device they are using, location and browser.
Why Are Cookies Important For Your Experience
Although the word ‘Cookie’ has a bad press, generally these cookies are harmless. Using cookies allows you to browse and move around a website much more efficiently and stay logged in to a website without you having to keeping logging in, even on future visits.
Cookies recognize whether or not you have previously visited a website and will then try to tailor the content to the user to allow them to navigate around the website more efficiently and help remember your preferences. These cookies can also be used to help us track the number of visitors to our website, target the content and marketing you see, to own specific needs and interests. Although these cookies store information about the use of our website, they DO NOT store personal information or details such as your name or address.
This page is simply designed to provide you with a basic overview of what information these cookies gather and how we use them and also, why we sometimes need to store these cookies.
What Information Is Collected
No personal information is collected by these cookies and therefore, these cookies do not personally identify you as a user. The information that is gathered and stored by these cookies includes general information about your computer or mobile device settings, location, browsing times and visits, your movements on the website and pages visited, your connection to the Internet, operating systems and platforms, IP Address, browsing patterns and movements.
Although most Browsers accept cookies automatically, you can choose to have your Browser erase them and prevent accepting all cookies automatically by changing your settings. However, what you must remember is that if you choose to do this, it will apply to every other website you visit on the Internet and not just this one.
Different Types Of Cookies
There are many different types of cookies and the following are the most common:
First Party Cookies
Third Party Cookies
Session Cookies
Persistent Cookies
Strictly Necessary
Performance
Functionality
Targeting
Secure Cookies
On this website, we often use all these cookies at some point and we would like to explain a little more about each one below:
First Party Cookies:
First Party Cookies are cookies that belong to this website and are placed on the visitor’s computer or mobile device by the website they are visiting. These can usually only be retrieved by the website owner and not passed on to other parties.
Third Party Cookies:
Third Party cookies are ones that are set by other websites or third parties through our website or the website you are currently visiting. These cookies are usually set by other third party websites that we may be affiliated or partnered with, may have advertising on the website or it may be from a Social Media website or similar.
Session Cookies:
A session cookie is a temporary file that is only stored in the memory for the duration of the visit and is then destroyed once the Browser is shut down. Session cookies are commonly used in websites that have a Shopping Cart to allow it to remember the items you placed in your basket.
Persistent Cookies:
These are as they sound and are used to store information for a set period of time until the cookie expires. This means that you can visit a website and then shut down your computer and revisit that same website and still be logged-in. These cookies are commonly used to track the visitor’s movements and behaviour as they browse around a website.
Strictly Necessary Cookies:
These types of cookies are essential and necessary for this website to function properly. They are generally only set when you request an action and allow you to navigate and browse around the website using all its features, as well as any logging-in to secure areas.
You can set your Browser to delete these cookies but then certain functions of the website may not work correctly.
Performance Cookies:
Performance cookies collect information about how you have used the website and allow us to understand your requirements, which then allows us to present our content to you in a more improved and efficient way. It also allows us to test new pages, designs, features, services and ideas to improve your experience.
Functionality Cookies:
These cookies gather information on your personal preferences and the choices you make. They allow the website to remember certain settings and how you are logged in and help to improve your visit. They allow the website to remember how you have customized your visits, set your tool bars, text and layouts etc. They may be set by us or a third party whose services we have added to our website.
Targeting Cookies:
These types of cookies are linked to services provided by third parties and may be used to deliver advertising by ourselves, advertising partners or third parties that is relevant to your own personal requirements and interests. These cookies build a profile and can remember which sites you may have visited and can track your activity on other websites other than this one. This information may be shared with organization outside of this website and may be used to deliver targeted advertising. If you do not allow these cookies, you may receive less advertising.
Secure Cookies
These are generally used on websites that offer secure payment pages and these cookies provide a much safer form of data transfer by encrypting the codes.
How Long Will Cookies Stay On My Device
This depends on whether it is a “persistent” or “session” cookie. If it is a session cookie, it will only stay on you computer or mobile device until you stop browsing and log off. If it is a Persistent cookie, it will stay on until it expires or is deleted.
Can I Choose Not To Accept Cookies
Yes, you can choose not to allow the use of these cookies. However, if you do choose not to use them, we cannot guarantee that your user experience and functionality of our website will be as good as if you had allowed the use of them. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this website. It is recommended that you leave ‘on’ all cookies, especially if you are not sure whether you need them or not, just in case they are used to provide a service that you use.
Disabling Cookies You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see your browser ‘Help’ for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of this website. Therefore it is recommended that you do not disable cookies.
What Cookies We Use
As we mentioned previously, this website uses all the cookies listed above whilst it is live on the Internet. We use First Party cookies, Session cookies, Persistent cookies, Strictly Necessary cookies, Performance cookies, and Functionality cookies to ensure we provide an efficient and smooth working website for you to use.
As we recommend products and services on our website, it is very important for us to understand our visitor’s needs and interests and this is why Targeting and Thrid Party Cookies are used on this website.
Google Adsense
We use Google AdSense on our website that allows us to serve advertising to our visitors and this uses a DoubleClick cookie to serve more relevant ads across the web and limit the number of times that a given ad is displayed to you.
If you would like more information on Google AdSense, please see the official Google AdSense privacy FAQ: http://www.google.co.uk/policies/technologies/ads/
We use adverts to offset the costs of running this site and provide funding for further development. The behavioral advertising cookies used by this site are designed to ensure that we provide you with the most relevant adverts where possible by anonymously tracking your interests and presenting similar things that may be of interest.
In some cases we may provide you with custom content based on what you tell us about yourself either directly or indirectly by linking a Social Media account. These types of cookies simply allow us to provide you with content that we feel may be of interest to you.
Affiliate Tracking Cookies
We are Affiliated with a number of companies and Affiliate Networks who’s products and services we promote and receive a small commission for in return. These companies all use tracking cookies which allow both parties to see where a sale has originated from and helps in our Marketing and also helps us provide products that will interest our visitors.
The Networks we are Affiliated with are:
Affiliate Future – Affiliate Window – ClickBank – Commission Junction – JVZOO – ShareSale – Webgains
Social Media
We also use Social Media buttons (such as Likes and Share) and/or plugins on this website that allow you to connect with your Social Networks in various ways. The following Social Media sites are including on this website:
Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon. Linked In, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube.
All these Social Media sites will set cookies through our website and these may be used to enhance or improve your profile on their site or contribute to the data they hold for various purposes outlined in their respective privacy policies.
How We Use Cookies
The information we retrieve is used to make this website run and operate as efficiently as you would hope and expect it to. Although the information we collect is not actually identifiable to you personally, it can be used you provide you with a more personal experience when you visit this website in the future. Please be aware that some of the cookies and information gathered from this website is by other third party websites and companies and this can be used once you leave this website.
Choosing to prevent these cookies from being stored may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of this websites functionality.
By accessing the website and continuing to use it without taking action to prevent these cookies, you are effectively agreeing to the use of this Cookie Policy.
Further reading: http://www.allaboutcookies.org/