TOS, Privacy, and Site Policies

Hi! By visiting https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com, you are consenting to the following simple terms and conditions.

Sharing

The information I post on my site is intended for reading. I am delighted when people pass my links on to others so new readers can discover my site. My only request is that you honor the copyright and intellectual property when doing so, whether my own or that of a guest to my site. Providing a summary with a link is perfect. Please do not copy and repost my content without contacting me for permission first using the site contact form.

Privacy

I will not use any of the information collected to spam you, nor will it be sold to any other party. What is collected is only to enable the functions you choose to access and most often is in aggregate, so not directly tied to you.

This site collects information from you in four ways:

1) When you use the comment form, you are asked for some basic information, at minimum your email address. This is used to identify whether I have previously approved a comment from you or whether your comment needs approval. I may use the email to contact you and request a new comment that falls within the above comment policy if your post is clearly not spam but also doesn’t follow the guidelines.

2) The contact form reveals your email so I am able to respond to questions sent directly to me. It will be used for no other purpose than that and will not be added to my newsletter or any other subscription service without your express permission. If you wish to join my newsletter, please use the subscription form.

3) Both the forms and the site also collect more general information, such as your IP address, which pages you visited, and what part of the world you’re from, which is used in generalizations to help me understand what my visitors are interested in.

4) The contact form and the MailChimp newsletter registration form record your IP address tied to your information to help with spam management and based on the requirements for those services. Because I use MailChimp to manage my newsletter, the information you provide on that form is stored on their server and also subject to their privacy terms.

5) I do use some plugins to improve your experience on my site. These collect your IP address and set cookies to ensure you don’t have to repeat yourself every time you visit. Beyond spam detection and games, the JetPack plugin involves the most data management. You can read their privacy policy here.

The only time your information will be provided to others is if required by the terms of service agreement with the other party (MailChimp for example) or if required by law.

Comments

The Internet is a wide environment filled with fascinating people of every kind. I welcome all visitors, whatever the reason that drew you to Tales to Tide You Over, and would happily hear your thoughts on whatever I’m pondering or posting. I ask only that you recognize this is my corner of the Web. As such, I expect you to be polite (which doesn’t necessarily mean agreeing with me or others commenting) and reasoning.

Because I don’t want my site to become a host for spam, I use the Akismet spam blocking plugin and moderate the first comment from every poster. Please be patient as it might take a little while before I catch your first comment. I do, however, read all the comments and can remove any that step outside the boundaries of reasoned discussion. I have not had to use that ability so far beyond obvious spam and hope never to have to. If you believe I have misunderstood and removed a comment without cause, please send me a note through the contact form as it can be easy to mistake tone even though I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Updates

I reserve the right to modify the above terms when necessary to reflect the content on my site. If you have any questions about these terms of service or the included privacy policy, please use the contact form to email me and I will do my best to address your concerns.

This page last updated September 23, 2023.