What Are Cookies?
As is common practice with almost all websites this site uses cookies, which are tiny files that are downloaded to your computer, to improve your experience. This page describes what information they gather, how I use it and why I sometimes need to store these cookies. I will also share how you can prevent these cookies from being stored. However this may downgrade or ‘break’ certain elements of this site’s functionality.
For more general information on cookies please visit this website.
How I Use Cookies
I use cookies for a variety of reasons detailed below. Unfortunately in most cases there are no industry standard options for disabling cookies without completely disabling the functionality and features they add to this site.
Disabling Cookies
You can prevent the setting of cookies by adjusting the settings on your browser (see this website and also your browser Help for how to do this). Be aware that disabling cookies will affect the functionality of this and many other websites that you visit. Disabling cookies will usually result in also disabling certain functionality and features of the this site.
The Cookies I Set
If you create an account with me (including requesting email bulletins and/or other information) then I will use cookies for the management of the signup process and general administration. These cookies will sometimes be deleted when you log out; however in some cases they may remain afterwards to remember your site preferences when logged out and/or when you revisit this site and/or log in again.
When you submit data to me through a form such as those found on contact pages or comment forms cookies may be set to remember your user details for future correspondence or other purposes.
A number of plugins (various types of software) used on this site set cookies in order to function properly. For example, this site “knows” whether to show visitors the pop-up bar at the bottom of the screen notifying them of use of cookies on this site depending on whether they have previously visited this site and a cookie has been set on that earlier visit for this purpose.
Third Party Cookies
In some special cases I also use cookies provided by trusted third parties. The following section details which third party cookies you might encounter through this site.
This site uses Google Analytics (which is one of the most widespread and trusted analytics solutions on the internet) to help me to understand how visitor suse the site and ways in which I can improve the experience of visitors. These cookies may track things such as how long a visitor spends on the site and the pages that they visit to enable me to continue to produce engaging content.
For more information on Google Analytics cookies, see the official Google Analytics page.
From time to time I test new features and make subtle changes to the way that the site is delivered. While I am testing new features cookies may be used to ensure that you receive a consistent experience whilst on the site, whilst enabling me to understand which optimisations visitors appreciate the most.
This website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of this site. This helps me to provide visitors with a good experience when they browse this site and also allows me to improve this site.
Cookies and Web Beacons: I use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit this site. This could include ascertaining whether or not to show you information (contained in popups or otherwise) during your visit (depending on whether or not you have already seen them recently and whether or not they are relevant to you), or the ability to login to some of this site’s features, such as forums and members-only areas.
You can choose to disable or selectively turn off this site’s cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. See this website and also your browser Help for how to do this. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with this site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.
Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any of the above. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit this site new cookies may be added.
Please also see my Privacy policy and our Terms of Use.
Last updated 28 April 2018.
