Effective Date: March 7, 2007
This privacy policy (the “Policy”) describes The Encouraging Word's
privacy practices for our Web site located at www.The Encouraging
Word.org (our “Site”), including what types of information we gather
and track, how we use the information, and with whom we share the
information. Questions regarding this Policy should be directed to
info@theencouragingword.org or to the following address:
Privacy Policy
The Encouraging Word, Inc.
PO Box 2110
Spartanburg, SC 29304
What information we collect, how we collect it, and how we use it
Personal Information
“Personal Information” refers to information that lets us know the
specifics of who you are and can be used to identify, contact or locate
you. You can visit our Site without telling us who you are and without
revealing any information about yourself. However, Personal Information
is requested for accessing certain portions of our Web site, or for
accessing certain services we provide. You may also be sending us your
comments or questions by using the “Contact Us” page, or responding to
an online survey. Personal Information may include your name, mailing
address, telephone number, email address and other identification and
contact information. We may also collect certain financial information,
like your credit card number, to provide certain services to you.
In addition, when registering with The Encouraging Word for certain
services, we may ask you to choose a security question to answer (such
as your mother's maiden name or your pet's name). This required
information is necessary for a variety of tasks, such as should we need
to issue a new password if you forget or lose your password or contact
you should the need arise in administering your account.
We generally use your Personal Information for our own business or
administrative purposes, such as to deliver services requested by you,
to collect payments, to keep you informed of our services by sending
you our newsletters, to provide customer support, to administer our
Site and individual accounts, or to analyze the collected information.
Internet Protocol address
Every computer connected to the Internet has a unique number called an
Internet Protocol (“IP”) address. We do not track a specific IP address
to identify an individual user. However, we reserve the right to use
and disclose such information to identify a user if we reasonably
determine that it is necessary to protect our Site, hosted sites or
users of these sites, or to comply with legal requirements.
Non-Personal Information
“Non-Personal Information” refers to information that does not identify
a specific individual by itself or in combination with other
information. We gather certain information about you based on your
activities by use of cookies (explained below), clear GIFs (explained
below) or other means. This information is compiled and analyzed on
both a personal and an aggregate basis. Non-Personal Information may
include your Web site traffic information. When you arrive at or leave
our Site, we automatically receive the Web address of the site that you
came from or are going to. We also collect information on which pages
of our Site you visit while you are on our hosted site, the type of
browser you use, your IP address, the times you access our hosted
sites, and the time required to download the information you request.
We use this information to try to better understand visitor preferences
and to manage the load on our servers. We may sell or otherwise share
aggregated statistical data and other Non-Personal Information with
business partners and other non-affiliate third parties, but this
shared information will not include Personal Information (i.e., will
not identify you personally).
Cookies
A cookie is an element of data that a Web site can send to your
browser, which may then be stored on your system. We sometimes use
cookies to collect information from visits to our Site to help us
provide better service. You can set your browser to notify you before
you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept
it. You can also set your browser to turn off all cookies. If you do
so, however, some areas of some sites may not function properly.
Clear GIFs
Clear GIFs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in
function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of our
users. The main difference between the two is that clear GIFs are
invisible on the page and are much smaller, about the size of the
period at the end of this sentence. Clear GIFs are not tied to your
Personal Information.
Disclosure to non-affiliate third parties
The Encouraging Word works with third parties who provide
administrative support to us, such as credit card clearance and other
services of an administrative nature. Personal Information, including
financial information, may be shared with such third parties in order
for them to provide these services to us. We may also disclose Personal
Information in response to legal process, such as a court order or
subpoena, or to protect our Site, hosted sites or users of these sites.
In the event of a merger, consolidation, or sale or transfer of all or
substantially all of our assets or business, one of the assets
transferred may include the information we collect about our users.
In addition, we may use a third-party service partner to track the
Web traffic on our Site. The only information gathered by a third-party
service partner will be Non-Personal Information.
We do not share Personal Information submitted to our Site with
non-affiliate third parties for their direct marketing purposes, unless
the individual submitting this information has permitted us to do so.
Information security and quality
We use reasonable security procedures and practice to protect the
quality and integrity of your Personal Information. We have implemented
physical, technical and organizational measures, such as using
encryption for transmission of potentially sensitive information, to
help keep your information secure.
Email tools
The Encouraging Word is committed to complying with the CAN-SPAM Act.
Links to other Web sites
Our Site may contain links to other Web sites. The Encouraging Word is
not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such other
Web sites.
Offline v. Online practices
This Policy applies solely to The Encouraging Word's online
information-gathering and dissemination practices, and does not apply
to any of our practices conducted offline.
Privacy of children
Our Site is directed toward general audience, and we do not
knowingly collect Personal Information about children under the age of
13. We request that any child under the age of 13 not submit any
Personal Information without prior consent of that child's parent or
guardian.
Changes to the Policy
The Encouraging Word periodically reviews and updates this Policy.
Any changes to the Policy will be effective immediately upon posting of
the updated Policy on our Site. Please visit this page from time to
time and check for any updates.
Access and Modification
If you wish to access or modify your Personal Information collected
at the Site, or wish to discontinue receiving our newsletters or other
email communications, please contact us.