Cookie Policy
1. Introduction
This section introduces our Cookie Policy, explaining its purpose: to inform you about how AuthorsGeek.com uses cookies and similar technologies when you use our Service. It also notes that this policy works in conjunction with our main Privacy Policy.
This Cookie Policy explains how AuthorsGeek.com ("AuthorsGeek," "we," "us," or "our") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website, AuthorsGeek.com, and through our web application services (collectively, the "Service"). This policy is intended to help you understand what cookies are, why we use them, and how you can manage your preferences.
By using our Service, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this Cookie Policy. This policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy.
Effective Date: May 22, 2025
2. What Are Cookies?
To ensure clarity, this section provides a straightforward explanation of cookies – small text files stored on your device – and briefly mentions other similar technologies we might use, all referred to as "cookies" for simplicity in this policy.
Cookies are small text files containing a string of characters that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website or use an online service. When you visit the website or service again, the cookie allows that site or service to recognize your browser or device. Cookies can store user preferences and other information.
While we primarily use cookies, we may also use other similar tracking technologies like web beacons (also known as pixel tags or clear GIFs) from time to time. These are tiny graphics files that contain a unique identifier that enable us to recognize when someone has visited our Service or opened an e-mail that we have sent them. For simplicity, this policy will refer to all such technologies as "cookies."
3. How We Use Cookies
This section outlines the main reasons AuthorsGeek.com uses cookies. From making the Service work smoothly to enhancing your personal experience and ensuring security, cookies play a vital role in delivering a better, faster, and safer service.
AuthorsGeek.com uses cookies for a variety of general purposes to ensure our Service functions effectively and to enhance your experience. These purposes include:
- Operating our Service: Some cookies are essential for the operation of our website and services, such as enabling you to log in, navigate the site, and use its features.
- Enhancing User Experience: Cookies help us remember your preferences and settings, providing a more personalized and convenient experience.
- Analyzing Site Usage: We use cookies to understand how our users interact with our Service, which helps us improve its performance, design, and functionality.
- Ensuring Security: Cookies can be used to help detect and prevent security risks.
- Facilitating Payments: For services requiring payment, cookies are used by our third-party payment processor to securely process transactions.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better, faster, and safer experience on AuthorsGeek.com.
4. Types of Cookies We Use
Here, we categorize the different types of cookies used on AuthorsGeek.com, explaining the purpose of each category (Strictly Necessary, Performance/Analytics, Functionality) and clarifying our current stance on Targeting/Advertising cookies. We also differentiate between first-party and third-party cookies.
We use different types of cookies on our Service, which can be categorized as follows:
Strictly Necessary Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies are essential for you to browse the Service and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the site, user authentication, maintaining your session, and ensuring the security of your account. They are also crucial for enabling payment processing through our third-party provider, Stripe.
- Nature: These are typically first-party session cookies, though some essential third-party cookies (like those from Stripe for payment) fall into this category.
- Disabling: Because these cookies are necessary for the Service to work, they generally cannot be disabled if you wish to use our core services.
Performance and Analytics Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies collect information about how you use our Service, such as which pages you visit most often, how much time you spend on those pages, links clicked, and any error messages you might encounter. This information helps us understand user behavior, improve the performance of our Service, and identify areas for enhancement.
- Example Tool: We may use tools like Google Analytics for this purpose. Google Analytics uses its own cookies to collect this data. The information generated is typically aggregated and anonymized.
- Nature: These can be first-party or third-party cookies (e.g., Google Analytics cookies are third-party).
Functionality Cookies:
- Purpose: These cookies allow our Service to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, they may be used to remember your username (if you opt-in), language preferences, or display settings.
- Nature: These are generally first-party cookies.
Targeting or Advertising Cookies:
- Purpose: AuthorsGeek.com does not currently use targeting or advertising cookies to track your browsing habits for the purpose of delivering targeted advertising from third parties on our Service. If our practices change in the future, this Cookie Policy will be updated accordingly, and we will seek your consent where required.
First-Party vs. Third-Party Cookies:
- First-party cookies are set directly by AuthorsGeek.com (the website you are visiting).
- Third-party cookies are set by a domain other than AuthorsGeek.com. These are typically set when our website incorporates elements from other services, such as our payment processor (Stripe) or analytics provider (e.g., Google Analytics).
5. Your Choices and Managing Cookies
This section empowers you with information on how to control cookies through your browser settings and our cookie consent tool. It also explains the potential impact of disabling certain cookies on your experience with our Service.
You have choices about how cookies are used. Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences.
- Browser Settings: You can typically set your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. You can also usually delete cookies that have already been set. The "Help" feature on most browsers will tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to have the browser notify you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether.
- Google Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
- Mozilla Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/enable-and-disable-cookies-website-preferences
- Microsoft Edge: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge-63947406-40ac-c3b8-57b9-2a946a29ae09
- Apple Safari: https://support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies-and-website-data-sfri11471/mac
- Impact of Disabling Cookies: If you choose to block or delete cookies, please note that some parts of our Service may not function correctly or optimally. For example, you may not be able to log in or use certain features that rely on cookies for functionality. Strictly Necessary cookies are essential for the site to work.
- Cookie Consent Tool: When you first visit AuthorsGeek.com, you may be presented with a cookie consent banner or tool. This tool allows you to manage your preferences for non-essential cookies. You can typically revisit these settings at a later time through a link or button provided on our website.
6. Third-Party Cookies
This section specifically addresses cookies set by third-party services we use, like Stripe for payments and Google Analytics for site analysis. We encourage you to review their respective policies for more details.
As mentioned, some cookies on our Service are set by third parties. We do not control the setting of these cookies and suggest you check the third-party websites for more information about their cookies and how to manage them.
- Stripe: Our payment processor, Stripe, uses cookies to facilitate secure payment transactions. You can find more information about Stripe's cookie usage in their Cookie Policy.
- Google Analytics: If we use Google Analytics, it sets cookies to collect data that helps us understand how users engage with our Service. For more information on Google Analytics cookies, visit Google's information page. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
We encourage you to review the privacy and cookie policies of these third parties.
7. Changes to This Cookie Policy
Our practices regarding cookies may change. This section explains that we may update this policy and how we will notify you of any significant revisions.
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy. If we make material changes, we will notify you, for example, by posting a prominent notice on our website or by sending you an email, where feasible and required by law.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, this section provides our contact information.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us at: Email: support@authorsgeek.com