Privacy’s No Small Thing

Likely most, some, a few, one of you are like me.

You are bothered by but not bothered with those annoying little privacy statements that pop-up every flipping time you try to search for an article, a photo, a recipe, a how-to on the Internet.

It isn’t that you’re lazy or crazy or don’t give a rat’s ass, it’s simply you just don’t have the time, energy, inclination to wade through the legalize or the cutesy worded article on how a person, company, organization is going to protect your privacy.

Yeah, right they care, but that not-caring is the price you pay for wanting the information you need, so you push accept, click the empty box, and drum your fingers.

You wait for whatever lame promises they made about keeping you private to disappear so you can get back to what you were doing.

Leastways that’s what I always did.

Until one of my accounts was hacked.

The “Evil Doers” wreaked

Not only did they infiltrate my computer and leave lovely viruses, but they gained accesses to my accounts, took over my social media, ran up bills for flights, hotels, cars on my booking websites. They went after my bank account. In short those horrible mean people sent what I not-so-lovingly call my blackhole-visa-account into an implosion of an epic scale.

Now, I take privacy seriously

So when the geek-squad told me I add a privacy statement for my soon-to-be-live website, I freaking freaked out. How could I be responsible for someone else’s privacy? How could I make that promise?

Welp, after many manic meltdowns, terror-induced night sweats and hours of handholding therapy by my wonderful everything-geeky-guru, Lisa Norman, I’m ready to make the promise that I do not take lightly.  

I solemnly swear on everything I find holy, which is currently flourless chocolate cake and ice cream, to do respect and protect the privacy of every visitor to Rhaychristou.com.

And this is how I’ll—or likely folks much more techno-savvy than me will help me—protect your privacy.

• My lovely Geek-Guru, Lisa Norman, set me up with the best security software I can use.
• She has set me up with encryption, because I’m told an encrypted website offers more protection than a non-encrypted website, and more protection sounds good to me.

Now, I’m going to be straight, some your information is shared with a few other folks because I have to rely on other people to keep my website running and me from hyperventilating.

• My web hosting company can see your information, because I’m on their server.
• My anti-spam company can see your information, because otherwise, the trolls would take over my website and we’d all be worried about accidentally clicking a link to somewhere dangerous. They promise they don’t store the information long-term, because they don’t need it more than just for a couple of days in case I need to tell them the person they think is a spammer is actually my great-aunt who typed in her email wrong.
• The other people who see your information are the Google Snoops. I use Google Analytics so I can see what you like or don’t like about me. Yeah, I know that’s kind of terrifying, but I want to know you so that I can make rhaychristou.com a journey that gives you everything you need.  So if I discover y’all are liking something, I’ll add more stuff like that. If I find out everyone is bored by something, I’ll probably have a minor meltdown, but will hit delete. If you don’t want Google to know what you’re doing, please: learn to use a private browser. I won’t mind.

Let’s Pinky-Promise

Your part of the promise: If you like, want to explore, play around and comment feel free. I love to hear from writers and readers.

 BUT.

I will ask, beg, implore you to respect the website, me and other users.

Leave a comment, disagree, present an argument and it is all good. But please, please, please do not ever slam, disrespect, use foul language, work to hurt or shame anyone else or their comments. In short, remember there is always a person behind a post.

My part of the promise, if you want me to delete all of your comments off my website, just email me and I promise…I’ll forget all about you, and my website will, too. Okay, I may cry first.

If you’ve subscribed to my emails and decide you don’t want them, just unsubscribe from the list. I respect your right to choose.