About Cookies and Privacy

A cookie is simply a line of text that is stored in a special file on your computer by a Web site. This is the way various sites keep track of information about you. For example, a CD club that lets you shop on-line might have a "shopping cart" feature that keeps track of the CDs you've selected—this is done by writing that information onto your computer as a cookie. These types of cookies, which are the same kind we use at Rainy Side Gardeners, are written to your computer in a manner such that they cannot be accessed by another Web site.

Some marketing people, though, figured out how to make another type of cookie, called a "tracking cookie". Tracking cookies are able to gather information about what other Web sites you have visited, and store it; then the marketers can retrieve it. Fortunately you can disable tracking cookies.

There is a broad misconception that disabling cookies will stop Web sites from gathering information about you. Cookies are stored on your computer, not the Web server. Web sites can still run server programs that save information about you—they do not need cookies at all. But remember that with both cookies and with server applications, the only specific personal information they can get is information you provide. There is no way they can get your e-mail address, for example, unless you give it to them.

Your Privacy and Rainy Side Gardeners

What steps does Rainy Side Gardeners take to protect your privacy and keep your trust?

We do not use any information you enter on our forum registration. If for some reason in the future we think we have a reason to use this information ourselves (such as for a newsletter), we will ask for your permission in advance before we use it.

Finally, under no circumstances will Rainy Side Gardeners sell or give away the names, e-mail or mail addresses of anyone. We only ask for this information on the forum and for contest prizes. You have our word that we will not distribute it. (Only contest winners' addresses are given out to companies so they can distribute their prizes.)