Disclosure and Privacy Policy

Writing this was one of the most intimidating things I have ever done. And I wrote a damn thesis. Not only is it extremely unclear what you are supposed to include in disclosure and privacy policies, the language is enough to put you in a coma. So I’m approaching this with all my frustration and anger at having to do it. I hope, if anything, it offers a different reading experience.

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from May 2, 2016

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. That means anything you read here from my opinions on products, services, websites, health topics, nutrition, fitness, etc., are purely my own. I am not offering any sort of professional advice. This is all for fun (except this part).

If I ever claim or appear to be an expert on a certain topic, product, or service area, I will only endorse products or services that I believe are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation. As a result, this can influence the advertising content, topics, or posts made in this blog. But that content, advertising space, or post is always clearly identified as paid or sponsored content and all opinions are always my own.

Well that was boring.

Affiliates

This is a list of all the affiliate programs I am a part of (which are subject to change). In these programs, if you happen to make a purchase through one of the affiliate links on this blog, I receive a small commission (and no-it does not affect the price you pay).

At the moment, I haven’t earned anything. But I’m ever hopeful I might make enough money to pay for groceries and hosting and domain fees.

Megan Wells 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 linking to Amazon.com.

Privacy Policy

This policy is valid from May 2, 2016

Your privacy is important and I try my best to protect and respect it. Below you will find details on how exactly I do this.

Rules and laws change though, so this Privacy Policy will also change. I am going to assume you accept such changes if you continue to visit this blog but if you are concerned, check in here to see if the changes are acceptable.

I have links to third party websites throughout my blog but I am not responsible for their privacy policies. Please check each individual site’s privacy policy if you are concerned.

Personal identifying information that I collect on this blog (and what I do with it):

Name
Email address
IP address (example: when I leave comments on other blogs, they collect that I am Megan from www.megiswell.com)

There are three ways I collect your name, email address and IP address:

You decide to contact me through my contact form. I use Contact Form 7, which does not, at this time, store any user data. Your name, email address, and message will appear in my personal email account, at which point I will (hopefully), respond to whatever questions, comments, or concerns you have. This does NOT sign you up for weekly emails from me (no delicious recipes for you) and the information is kept private (I don’t sell or share it).
If you subscribe to my weekly email updates (don’t you want delicious recipes?) I collect your name and email address. It is stored in the email marketing service that I use (MailChimp) and the information is kept private (I don’t sell it or share it). You can opt out at any time—an “unsubscribe” link is included in all of my email updates.
You leave a comment on a blog post where your name, email address, IP address (optional), and message will be stored in my website database. What the whole world can see is your name, website address, and comment. But what is absolutely private and safe is your email address.

Cookies (I wish the edible kind) and anonymous information that is collected:

Cookies are the other way that information is collected. Cookies are small bits of text that are stored on your computer by your web browser. They are also the reason websites are able to tailor content and marketing to you specifically (like when I was researching DSLR cameras and all the advertisements I saw for months on any website were for Canon).

Almost all blogs use cookies in combination with analytical services to help them reach a greater understanding of:

Sessions, users, page views, page views per session, average session duration, and bounce rate
Demographics (age and gender: this is how I know that I am mostly talking to other women when I write-where are you fellas?)
Interests (cooking enthusiasts/aspiring chefs, health and fitness buffs, food and drink, etc.)
Geo (language and location)
Behavior (new or returning, engagement, etc.)
Technology (browser, network)
Mobile (which devices people using)

Google Analytics, a web analysis service provided (for free) by Google, is the big kahuna. Almost all the other services that have analytic features (Pinterest, Tailwind, Facebook, Twitter, Yoast SEO, etc.) request your tracking ID to develop reports of your pins, boards, posts, tweets, SEO performance, and all that jazz. Not to mention that it also integrates with other Google programs like AdSense and AdWords.

How do I use this information?

I mostly just use it to see if my blog readership is growing.

If I was smart I would analyze all the information like crazy and use it to better tailor my posts to your needs and interests. But I must admit I usually end up just writing what I want. I go where my stomach, eyes, and heart lead me.

How do Google and other third party vendors and or ad networks use this information?

What third party venders and ad networks, including Google, do is:

Use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to my blog
Uses the DoubleClick cookie to serve ads to you based on your visits to my blog and other sites on the Internet.
You may opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting the Google advertising opt-out page. You can also opt out of other third party vendors use of cookies by visiting the Network Advertising Initiative opt out page.
For information about opting out of Gourmet Ads and ad serving partners please visit http://www.gourmetads.com/about/privacy-policy