Privacy Policy

Updated 11/9/2021

Overdosed on emails, junk mail, and spam? Yeah, me too. So, I understand the symptoms your suffering: the fear of triggering more by sharing your information with anyone and (justified) paranoia that your privacy is being breached.

The good news is that, though unscrupulous characters may be addicted to bombarding you with unsolicited content, I promise you, I never will. I have an antidote for the paranoia, also: I will fully disclose (below) what data my Site will collect from you and what I do (and don’t do) with it.

If your here, you’re probably either 1) in a hurry to get your word count for the day done or 2) trying to carve out some time for a training ride, run, or swim. So, I’ll give it to you straight, without a bunch of legalese. You can always contact me if you need more information. (Here is a Contact Form to email me your question).

Yes, my site collects some data–but only what you freely choose to share.

Yes, my site is protected by SSL and security software to ensure everything sent from my server is encrypted and to maintain the security of my Site, fending off those would-be antagonists and block a potentially nasty plot twist.

Email Sign-Ups- You can sign-up to get periodic emails, with updated tips and announcements from my Site sent right to your emailbox, so you don’t miss a thing in your busy life. When you sign up, my computer will collect your email address, your name, and your IP address (so I know where to send the updates). I promise not to inundate you with emails. We are all too busy for that sort of thing and, after all, you and I are both recovering from those dreaded email/junk mail overdose symptoms, so I know to keep the volume reasonable! And if you find you need a break from the emails ( I mean, don’t we all need to step away once in awhile?), you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email. You, of course, are welcome to rejoin us at anytime again! We’ll even give you some cookies when you do, if you want! (see below)

Comments: Sharing is caring. Sharing responses to posts is a great way to engender discussion in our community and grow your own presence. I love hearing what readers think of my posts. More importantly, I learn a lot from readers comments, also. But, unfortunately, Sites get heavy doses of spam and junk comments, generated by bots and villains, along with the occasional nasty-gram. None of you (and, quite frankly, myself included) want to get exposed to that potentially toxic content, potentially carrying malicious links.

The answer? An antidote, of course! I use CleanTalk anti-spam services, which will collect the IP address, name , and emails address of incoming comments, storing this temporarily. CleanTalk will compare the IP address from comments to known spammers, rejecting potentially dangerous plot twists before they even start. CleanTalk blocks spammers, lets me know, gives me a day or two double-check, then they delete that data. What do you get out of this? The comfort in knowing CleanTalk is keeping us both as safe as they can from the danger of spammers.

What do I get to keep? All the real comments and where they came from are stored in my database, so we can stay connected and to make sure my software recognizes you in the future as the approved, real-life, non-spamming awesome contributor that you are.

Contact Form: My Site offers you a chance to contact me with a message. Those messages (along with your email address, IP address, and your name) are sent to my email and are also stored on my Site, so I don’t lose your contact information if there is an email system failure.

Website Activity Tracking: Those 80 mile bike rides and 2 mile swims, sandwiched around my joy of writing and community volunteering, keep me super busy. But I love to know where my readers are from– it’s super cool to see athletes and writers from across the globe checking out my tips and experiences and sharing some of their own! So, my hosting company, together with Google Analytics, does this cool thing to save me time and help me know (generically) where in the world my readers, like you, are from (without any names, and without being traceable back to the you). These tools also help me understand what information folks are finding interesting, by letting me know what articles you checked out. This helps us both, so I can tailor the Site to include information you will enjoy the most. Some of this process requires the use of cookies (see below).

Google, and other search engines you use on the Web, track your data when you browse the internet. It’s generic data, and not traceable back to you, specifically. If this causes that justified paranoia to resurface, opt to use a private browser, instead, as an antidote. You can find out more about that here.

Use of Cookies: Yes, please. I keep a handful of cookies and a diet soda to enjoy partway through a long bike ride. I particularly love double-stuffed…

Oh, wait…this is about the other kind of cookies…those small text files that are placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. These cookies won’t cause a sugar overdose or chocolate chip withdrawal, but are important to understand. Cookies can help my Site recognize you when you return to share a comment, if you choose to opt-in and have your contact information remembered. These cookies can not run any program on your computer, nor can they deliver viruses. Also, a cookie is uniquely assigned to you ( honestly, the first time I read that I thought…so, will I be the only one assigned chocolate chip?). Since the cookies are unique to you, they can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. (No one else can have your cookies…which is awesome, really).

So, that first time you get a cookie notice from my Site, if you choose, a cookie will be placed on your computer. Saying “yes” to cookies makes it easier for you when you return to my Site next time, easing navigation, delivering relevant information, etc. Web beacons (clear gif technology) or action tags may also be used to assist in delivering cookies. This technology pulls together statistics to help me better understand how folks are using my website, such as which links or pictures in my posts were clicked the most and which were not as enticing. It’s important to know: no private or personal information is transferred during this process. You can choose to accept or decline cookies (although turning down cookies is sometimes haaaard!). Just know that if you decline, you may not be able to fully enjoy the interactive features and experience on this (or other) websites.

If articles have embedded content (like links to other website articles, videos, or images, etc.), the other website behaves as if you directly visited their Site. These websites may have their own cookies and data collection or tracking tools.

Out of the Country Users: Have you smuggled yourself onto this United States based website? Thankfully, the internet makes it easy to get here! No body packing or sneaking needed. Just be aware that if you are accessing this Site from outside of the US, by providing your information to the site, you are consenting to the transfer of your information to the US for processing and maintenance in accordance with this Privacy Policy. You are also consenting to the application of US law in all matters concerning this site.

Public Website Notice: Please be aware that as a public website, once you post a comment, anyone can read it. Please use caution when posting any sensitive information.

Site Content Owner: Yep, all of the information, the pictures, and the content on this site (miffieseideman.com) are owned/copyrighted by me, Miffie Seideman.

Periodic Policy Changes: I periodically will need to give a booster shot to this privacy policy. The most recent revision date will be at the top of this page. You don’t have to overdose on this policy, but you should at least periodically refresh your memory of the how I am helping protect your private information. By continuing to use this service and visit this Site, you are agreeing to this privacy policy and any updates.