Privacy Policy
We respect the privacy and security of visitors to our Web site. Our Privacy Policy was developed out of our commitment to combine the highest-quality services with the highest level of integrity in dealing with visitors to our site. Here, you will learn what personal information of yours is collected, how and when we might use your information, who has access to your information, and how we protect your information.
WHAT INFORMATION IS COLLECTED
When you visit our Web site you may provide us with two types of information: (1) personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis; and (2) Web site use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web site.
1. PERSONAL INFORMATION YOU CHOOSE TO PROVIDE
When you sign up for a service, we may ask you for your name, e-mail address, and some other personal information. In addition, if you choose to correspond further with us through e-mail, we may retain the content of your e-mail messages, together with your e-mail address, and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.
2. WEB SITE USE INFORMATION
Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web site utilizes a standard technology called “cookies” (see explanation below, “What Are Cookies?”) and web server logs to collect information about how our Web site is used. When you visit an Internet Web site, you disclose information about yourself, such as your Internet protocol (IP) address, the time of your visit, and the referring location (e.g., the site or page that offered a link to us). Other information gathered through cookies and web server logs may include the pages viewed, the time spent at our Web site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our Web site. We, like many other sites, record this basic information about visits to our site. This information is collected on an aggregate basis.
HOW AND WHEN INFORMATION IS USED
1. PERSONAL INFORMATION
We use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing services, and making referrals of potential customers to our members.
2. WEB SITE USE INFORMATION
We use Web site browser software tools, such as cookies and web server logs, to gather information about the browsing activities of visitors to our Web site in order to constantly improve our Web site and better serve our visitors. This information assists us to design and arrange our web pages in the most user-friendly manner and to continually improve our Web site to better meet the needs of our visitors. We also use this information for purposes of system administration and to report aggregate information to our advertisers.
Cookies help us collect important business and technical statistics. The information in the cookies lets us trace the paths followed by visitors to our Web site as they move from one page to another. Web server logs allow us to count how many people visit our Web site and evaluate our site’s visitor capacity.
WHAT ARE COOKIES?
Cookies are a feature of web browser software that allows web servers to recognize the computer used to access a Web site. They are small pieces of data that are stored by a user’s web browser on the user’s hard drive. Cookies can remember what information a user accesses on one web page to simplify subsequent interactions with that Web site by the same user or to use the information to streamline the user’s transactions on related web pages. This makes it easier for a user to move from web page to web page and to complete commercial transactions over the Internet. Cookies are used to make your on-line experience easier and more personalized.
WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION
Except as described below, we will not willfully disclose any individually identifiable information about our users to any third party without first receiving that user’s permission. However, we may disclose personal information when we believe in good faith that the law requires it or to protect our rights or property. In addition, we may disclose personal information to our members. We provide this information to our members as a member benefit. When you give us personal information, you are consenting to the disclosures as described above.
HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
The privacy and protection of your personal information is vitally important to us. We do not make personal information available to any third parties without your permission. Any user statistics that we may provide to prospective advertisers are provided in the aggregate only and do not include any personally identifiable information. Our corporate values, ethical standards, policies and practices are committed to the protection of visitor information.
Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Accordingly, despite our efforts to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. You transmit all such information at your own risk. However, once we receive your transmission, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER WEB SITES LINKED TO OUR WEB SITE?
We are not responsible for the practices employed by Web sites linked to or from our Web site nor the information or content contained therein. Often, links to other Web sites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the visitors of our Web site.
Please remember that when you use a link to go from our Web site to another Web site, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other Web site, including Web sites which have a link to our Web site, is subject to that Web site’s own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.
You should remember that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information on-line, such as on message boards, through e-mail, discussion groups, or in chat areas, your information can be collected and used by others. Although we try to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, and you do so at your own risk.