Margie Lawson

Updated 5/24/2018

Aren’t dachshund pirates special? 

Sorry, I mean PRIVACY. Isn’t PRIVACY special? Yes, it’s very special.

Because it’s special, I want you to know I value it.

No one likes getting emails they didn’t actually sign up for, no matter how cute the content. I won’t use any information you give me in any way except how it was intended.

Here’s the thing about websites – they do store SOME data. But I’m going to tell you what I store here at MargieLawson.com (not much) and what you can do about it if you don’t like that.

First off, know that most of the information I store is information you give me freely. My site is protected by SSL which ensures that everything sent to or from my server is encrypted. In addition, I use very powerful security software to maintain security on my site to the best of my ability.

Sadly, there are many people who would love to fill any website with spam comments. My site is no exception. I use CleanTalk to provide anti-spam services.

CleanTalk is a GDPR compliant company that also values your privacy. When you log in, post a comment, or send us a contact message, CleanTalk receives a copy of the information that you submit. This information is checked against a list of known spammers. If you match someone on that list, your interaction will be blocked.

CleanTalk keeps a record of your interaction with the site for approximately 7 days to allow us to manually reclassify you if we feel they have made a mistake. After that time, the data is removed from their server, except for anonymized statistics. CleanTalk guarantees that your data will never be used or shared in any other way. By keeping the rampaging hordes of attackers away from the site, this keeps MargieLawson.com safe for all of us.

The only information we store is what you provide freely.

Newsletters

We collect your name, IP address, and email address so that we can send you infrequent updates about what is going on in our world. These newsletters may contain teaching points, upcoming classes for sale, and information about events. Want to be removed from this list? Click unsubscribe at the bottom of any newsletter.

The newsletters send a message back to the website when they are opened or when you click on a link. This helps us to better design future content. We don't want to bore you!

Comments

I love it when people comment. To allow for discussion, you can post comments in some areas on this website. The information collected includes your name, email address, website address, IP address, and your comments. If you ever wish to have your comments removed, send us a quick note through the form at the bottom of this page and we’ll remove them. No worries.

Purchase History

When you purchase an online course or lecture packet through MargieLawson.com we keep a record of that purchase. The record may include the email address that you used to make the purchase as well as your name, address, IP address, and any other information you may have provided. We use PayPal to process our payments, so no payment data is processed or stored on our system.

Check out this handy-dandy feature!

Lecture Packets:  This history allows you to download the packet again in the future if you lose your copy.

Online Classes:  This creates a convenient history of the classes you've taken--in case some of you occasionally forget the title.

Niiiiiice.

Classroom Activities

Our classroom uses Moodle software. The classroom software is entirely contained on our server and does not transmit the data to other computers unless you specifically request it. However, since the classroom is being used by other students, it is possible that they may save a copy of the comments you provide to use for reference in the future.

For example, the classroom provides a digest feature where you can read forum notices in your email. These forum messages are sent via standard email channels and may wander to various locations on the globe depending on where your fellow students are located. We consider this international information sharing a bonus feature to Lawson Writer's Academy classes. If you are concerned about having your information shared or stored by fellow students, you are free to not comment in the forums. We think you'll miss out, but the choice is yours.

Classes remain open for two weeks after the end of class. After that point, your personal data relating to the class is deleted from our system except for the purchase history.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracing your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Minors

Please be aware that MargieLawson.com is intended for use by individuals over the age of 16. If you are under 16, please get permission from a guardian before using the site.

Website Activity Tracking

Our hosting company tracks basic data on those who access the site. The data stored in this manner is not traceable back to any individual and is deliberately generalized. It provides us with information related to the country of origin of site visitors, what browser they are using, and how long they stayed on the site.

In addition, Google and other search engines track website visitors. This is something that happens whenever you use the internet. If you do not want to be tracked, please consider using a private browser window.  The information that these search engines store is not traceable to one individual and so is very generic in nature. We do not store this information, however we do occasionally look at it so that we can provide more relevant content.

Liking and Sharing

Sharing is a good thing! When you share or like something that you see on my site, the coordination between where you want the share to go and my site is managed by Automattic, the company that designed WordPress. They track your IP address, WordPress.com user ID, WordPress.com username, my site's ID, post ID (of the post you liked), user agent, timestamp of event, browser language, and country code. Whew! That's a lot. It translates to: they keep track of what you liked, when you liked it, and where you shared it to.

Use of Cookies

I wish I meant the chocolate chip kind. Vegan, naturally. But you'll have to come to my home in Colorado to get the yummy make-your-tummy-happy thing.

I use cookies on this site to ensure the integrity of the registration process and to personalize the site. A cookie is a tiny text file placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer.

Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

Cookies save you time. Cool, huh?

If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select "Remember Me", your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed. In addition, once you have logged in and verified your identity, our security software places a cookie in your browser to say that it knows you are a real person who is authorized to use the site.

These login cookies are required by our classroom software in order to grant you access to your class. They are your key to the classroom. Without cookies enabled, the classroom will not function.

About those web beacons...

Web beacons, also known as clear gif technology, or action tags, may be used to assist in delivering the cookie. They compile aggregated statistics about web site usage, such as how many visitors clicked on key elements (such as links or graphics) on a Web page, blog, or a newsletter. We may share aggregated site statistics with partner companies who have provided customization software for use on the site. No private or personal information is transferred in this way.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Many Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of this or other Web sites you visit.

YIKES!  Please note if you disable your cookies you will not be able to access the classroom.

Data Breach Protection

Sensitive data like your password is stored encrypted in our database. Because of this, it is unlikely that a data breach would cause a risk to our users. However, should such a breach ever occur we will notify anyone affected within 72 hours using the email address that we have on file for you. You will notice that our security software can be a bit aggressive with its insistence that you use secure passwords. That and many less visible protections are in place to protect your information. We take our responsibility for protecting you very seriously.

We got this. We got you covered. We're taking care of you.

Changes to this Statement

Change happens. I may occasionally update this privacy statement. When I do, I will also revise the “last updated” date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes to this privacy statement, I will notify you by placing a you-can't-miss-it notice on the home page of my Web site. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.

A Note to International Users

I love visiting other continents, frequently, but I was born in and live in the US, and that’s where this site is hosted. If you are accessing the site from outside the United States, by providing your information to the site, you are consenting to the transfer of your information to the United States for processing and maintenance in accordance with this Privacy Notice. You are also consenting to the application of United States law in all matters concerning the site.

Data Protection Concerns

All of the content on this site, margie@margielawson.com, is owned by Margie Lawson, LLC.

NOTE:  Thanks to 3-time Immersion Grad Justine Covington for sharing the idea about referencing pirates in the privacy statement. Her words made me laugh, so she gave me permission to use them on my site. I opted to make my pirate a dachshund. So cute!

If you have any concerns or questions about this policy, contact Margie Lawson using the form on the main website.