Privacy Policy

All of the blogs and websites that Franchise Selection Specialists inc./Joel Libava runs and produces content on, use Six Aparts “Typepad” blog software for the above named blogs and websites. The Six Apart Privacy Policy is below.
We respect your privacy, as publishers of those blogs and sites.
You may “opt-in” to receive our Newsletters, special offers or other information via email. You may remove yourself from such services at any time. Any such email sent to you will include directions for how to unsubscribe.
We never sell, rent or disclose your email address to any other party for financial gain.
From time to time, we may provide you with special offers and promotions in partnership with third parties. However, we will distribute any such mailings directly, and will not disclose your email address to third parties for this purpose.
Like most other Internet sites, we track general site traffic data such as referring domains, browser type, time zone and other data. We also track statistics with respect to RSS, including number of subscribers, type of RSS aggregators, and other data.
We use such data and statistics to administer the site, including managing comment spam, server loads, site design requirements, and other administrative purposes.
We also use aggregated traffic data and statistics for marketing analysis, determining future offerings, and other business uses.
We may employ “cookies” to provide users with tailored information. A “cookie” is an element of data that resides on your browser and makes certain site features and functionality available to you.
We use cookies to better serve users of our site. You may disable or delete cookies from your hard drive. However, by disabling cookies, certain site features and functionality may no longer work properly, or at all.

You may contact us at [email protected] anytime for any issues of concerns that may come up concerning your privacy.

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From Six Apart LTD.

1. What This Privacy Policy Covers

1.1 This Privacy Policy explains how Six Apart Ltd. (“we”, “us”,
“our” or “Six Apart”) collects, uses and shares your “Personal
Information” – information that identifies, relates to, describes or is
capable of being associated with you as a particular individual, such as
your name, address, email address or telephone number – and other data
through your use of any of Six Apart’s Web sites (each, a “Site” and,
collectively, the “Sites”), any of Six Apart’s services (each, a
“Service” and, collectively, the “Services”) and any of Six Apart’s
software (“Software”).

1.2 This policy does not apply to the practices of companies that Six
Apart does not own or control or to people that Six Apart does not
employ or manage.

1.3 Your use of Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software is subject
to this Privacy Policy in effect at the time of your use. Six Apart
reserves the right to update and change this Privacy Policy from time to
time without notice or acceptance by you, so please check this page
frequently for updates and changes. However, changes made to this
Privacy Policy will not apply to you to the extent that (i) the changes
concern matters which are the subject of an actual dispute between you
and Six Apart as of the date the changes take effect and (ii) Six Apart
has actual notice of the dispute as of the date the changes take effect.

2. Information We Gather

2.1 Six Apart may collect Personal Information when you register, use
or post content on or through Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software.

2.2 Six Apart may collect Personal Information when you enter into
promotions or sweepstakes.

2.3 Six Apart may combine information about you in our possession
with information we obtain from business partners or others.

2.4 Six Apart may collect information about your transactions with us
and/or with our business partners. This information might include
information necessary to process payments, such as billing information
and your credit card number.

2.5 Six Apart may automatically receive and record information on our
server logs from your browser, including your IP address, cookies and
the pages you request.

3. IP Address and Browser and Session Information

3.1 Six Apart may obtain IP addresses and browser and session
information from users depending upon how they access Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software. IP addresses and browser and session information
may be used for various purposes, including to:

• Diagnose and prevent service or technology problems reported by
  our users or engineers that are associated with the IP addresses
  controlled by a specific web company or ISP.

• Estimate the total number of users visiting Six Apart’s Sites,
  Services and Software from specific geographical regions.

• Help determine which users have access privileges to certain
  content, services or resources that we offer.

• Monitor and prevent fraud and abuse.

3.2 Six Apart may display your IP address to the owners or
maintainers of certain blogs, groups or communities when you post to
those blogs, groups or communities and the owner or maintainer has
enabled functionality for this purpose.

4. Cookies, Web Beacons and Scripts

4.1 Six Apart and third parties such as advertisers, third party
advertising networks, third-party advertising serving companies, Six
Apart’s business partners, vendors and service providers may identify
users and record user activity through technologies such as “cookies”,
“Web beacons” and “scripts”.

4.2 A “cookie” is a small amount of data, which typically includes an
anonymous unique identifier, that is sent to your browser and stored on
your computer’s hard drive when you view a Web page, an advertisement, a
video or other types of content. You can configure your browser to
accept all cookies, reject all cookies or notify you when a cookie is
set. If you reject all cookies, or specifically reject cookies set by
Six Apart, you may not be able to take full advantage of features of Six
Apart’s Sites, Services and Software that require you to be signed in
to your account or otherwise identify yourself.

4.3 Six Apart may set and access cookies on your computer through Six
Apart’s Sites, Services and Software, through third party Web sites or
through our emails and newsletters. Six Apart uses cookies for a number
of purposes, including to:

• Identify you as an account holder.

• Require you to re-enter your password after a certain period of
  time has elapsed to protect you against others accidentally accessing
  your account contents.

• Keep track of preferences you specify while you are using Six
  Apart’s Sites, Services and Software.

• Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

• Conduct research to improve Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
  Software.

4.4 A “Web beacon” is an electronic file that signals when a Web
page, an advertisement, a video or other types of content, an email or a
newsletter has been viewed. Six Apart may use Web beacons on Six
Apart’s Sites, Services and Software, on third party Web sites or in our
emails and newsletters. Six Apart uses Web beacons for a number of
purposes, including to:

• Count visitors to Web sites.

• Recognize and access cookies.

• Record page view information.

• Record the Internet protocol address of the computer that
  downloads a Web beacon.

• Record the type of browser used to view a page where a Web
  beacon is placed.

• Track of the delivery, viewing and responses to emails and
  newsletters.

• Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

• Conduct research to improve Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
  Software.

4.5 A “script” is a short section of computer code included in a Web
page or other content that can be used to set and access a cookie on
your computer’s hard drive and to record your activity on a Web site.
Six Apart may use scripts on Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software,
on third party Web sites or in our emails and newsletters. Six Apart
uses scripts for a number of purposes, including to:

• Track the performance of advertising campaigns.

• Identify sources of traffic to Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
  Software.

• Count the number of “clicks” on a link in a Web page,
  advertisement, email or newsletter.

• Follow the distribution of content.

• Measure patterns of activity on Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
  Software such as usage by date, time and geographic location.

• Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.

• Conduct research to improve Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
  Software.

4.6 Third parties may set and access their own cookies, use their own
Web beacons and use their own scripts on and through Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software, on and through third party Web sites or in and
through our emails and newsletters. How other companies use their own
cookies, Web beacons and scripts and the information they gather is
subject to those companies’ own privacy policies, not this Privacy
Policy.

5. Information Use, Sharing and Disclosure

5.1 Six Apart does not share Personal Information we learn about you
from your use of Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software with others,
except as described in this policy.

5.2 Six Apart does not claim ownership over the Personal Information
you post on or through Six Apart’s Sites, Services or Software. After
posting your Personal Information, you continue to retain your ownership
of your Personal Information and you continue to have the right to use
and license your Personal Information in any way you choose. By using
Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software or by otherwise submitting your
Personal Information to us, you are granting Six Apart and third
parties permission to use, distribute and, in some circumstances, to
keep copies of your Personal Information as described in greater detail
in this Privacy Policy. You may always decline to submit Personal
Information to us, but please be aware that your decision may prevent
you from being able to use all or portions of Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software.

5.3 You hereby grant Six Apart a nonexclusive, worldwide,
royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicenseable and transferable
right and license to use, reproduce, create derivative works of,
distribute, publicly perform and publicly display your Personal
Information. This license ends when you delete your Personal Information
or your account (except to the extent that your Personal Information
has been shared with others or syndicated to third parties and they have
not deleted it or as otherwise described in this Privacy Policy).

5.4 Six Apart is not responsible for how any third party uses,
distributes or keeps your Personal Information. If you have any
questions regarding how any third party uses, distributes or keeps your
Personal Information or you wish to access, correct, amend or delete any
of your Personal Information in the possession of that third party, you
must contact that third party directly.

5.5 Six Apart uses information for the following general purposes:
products and services provision, billing, identification and
authentication, services improvement, contact, research, and anonymous
reporting.

5.6 We do not share your information with unrelated third parties for
their direct marketing purposes. However, Six Apart’s Sites, Services
and Software may display targeted advertisements based on Personal
Information.

5.7 Six Apart may use or share your Personal Information where it is
necessary to complete a transaction, to operate or improve Six Apart’s
Sites, Services and Software, to do something that you have asked us to
do or tell you of products and services that we think may be of
interest.

5.8 To receive optional email messages such as newsletters and
marketing and promotional offers, you will be required to provide us
with your email address. In addition to these optional email messages,
Six Apart may contact you via any email address you provide to us with
transactional or relationship messages such as account status messages,
security updates or notifications of changes in the terms of your
account or the Services. These types of transactional or relationship
email messages are not optional.

5.9 When you post a message, your user ID or alias that you are
posting under may be visible to other users.

5.10 When you post a message on or through Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software, you have the ability to post a message which may
include Personal Information. Before you post any Personal Information,
make sure you are comfortable with that content being shared with Six
Apart and displayed on and transmitted through Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software.

5.11 If you post Personal Information online that is accessible to
the public, please be aware that you may receive unsolicited messages
from other parties in return.

5.12 Six Apart may share personally identifiable information about
you under the following circumstances:

• In the course of operating our business, it may be necessary or
  appropriate for us to provide access to your Personal Information to
  others such as our service providers, contractors and select vendors so
  that we can operate Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software and our
  business. Where practical, we seek to obtain confidentiality agreements
  that are consistent with this policy and that limit others’ use or
  disclosure of the information you have shared.

• We may share your Personal Information to respond to subpoenas,
  court orders, or legal process, to establish or exercise our legal
  rights, to defend against legal claims or in such circumstances where,
  in our judgment, disclosure is required or appropriate.

• We may share your Personal Information if we believe it is
  necessary in order to investigate, prevent or take action regarding
  illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential
  threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our various
  terms of service or as otherwise required by law.

• As we continue to develop our business, we may sell all or part
  of our business. In such transactions, Personal Information collected
  from users is generally one of the business assets that will be
  transferred. The transferred Personal Information will remain subject to
  this Privacy Policy or subsequent policies to which you have consented.

6. Advertising

6.1 We may allow advertisers, third party advertising networks and
third-party advertising serving companies to serve advertisements
directly to you within Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software. By
serving these advertisements directly to you, these companies can set
their own cookies on your computer and trigger their own Web beacons. If
you would like to contact the advertisers, third party advertising
networks and third-party advertising serving companies with which we
have relationships to learn more about their privacy policies and what
options (if any) they offer to opt out of their data collection, please
visit their web site(s). You may find a list of links to these
companies’ Web sites here.
Some of these companies are participants in the Network Advertising
Initiative (“NAI”), a cooperative of online marketing and analytics
companies committed to building consumer awareness and establishing
responsible business and data management practices and standards. You
can learn more about NAI and how you may “opt out” of targeted
advertising delivered by NAI member ad networks here.

6.2 We collect your interactions with advertising (such as
click-throughs) displayed on or through Six Apart’s Sites, Services and
Software and on those third party Web sites on which we display
advertising. We use this information to evaluate and report on the
success of the displayed advertising.

7. Information Relating to Children

7.1 We do not knowingly collect or solicit Personal Information from
children under the age of 13 or knowingly allow children under the age
of 13 to register for Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software. If you
are under 13, do not register or attempt to register for any of Six
Apart’s Sites, Services and Software or send any information about
yourself to us. No one under the age of 13 may provide any Personal
Information to, on or through Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software.

7.2 If we learn that we have collected or been sent Personal
Information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that
Personal Information as soon as reasonably practical. If you believe
that we might have collected or been sent Personal Information from a
child under the age of 13, please contact our Customer Support team.

7.3 We recommend that minors 13 years of age or older ask their
parents for permission before sending any Personal Information about
themselves to, on or through Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software.

8. Data We Collect Other Than Personal Information

8.1 In addition to the Personal Information you provide to us, we
collect data on your use and interaction with Six Apart’s Sites,
Services and Software. Data which we obtain about you, other than
Personal Information, is the exclusive property of Six Apart and may be
used by Six Apart in any manner permitted by applicable laws.

9. Retention of Personal Information and Other Data

9.1 Six Apart reserves the right to retain your Personal Information,
other data collected about you and content you submit to Six Apart’s
Sites, Services and Software to the extent required by applicable laws,
rules and regulations and as reasonably necessary to protect our legal
interests.

10. Confidentiality and Security

10.1 No data transmissions over the Internet can be guaranteed to be
100% secure. Consequently, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of
any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk. Once
we receive your transmission, we make efforts to ensure security on our
systems:

• We use physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to
  protect Personal Information about you.

• Your account information is password-protected.

• In certain areas, Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software use
  industry-standard SSL-encryption to protect data transmissions. However,
  please note that this is not a guarantee that such information may not
  be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed by breach of such firewalls
  and secure server software.

10.2 If Six Apart learns of a security systems breach, we may attempt
to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate
protective steps. By using Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software or
providing Personal Information to us, you agree that we may communicate
with you electronically regarding security, privacy and administrative
issues relating to your use of those Sites, Services and Software. We
may post a notice on our applicable web sites if a security breach
occurs. If this happens, you will need a web browser enabling you to
view the applicable web sites. We may also send an email to you at the
email address you have provided to us in these circumstances. Depending
on where you live, you may have a legal right to receive notice of a
security breach in writing. To receive free written notice of a security
breach (or to withdraw your consent from receiving electronic notice)
you should notify us at:

Six Apart Ltd.
548 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
Attention: Legal Department

11. Changing your Account Information and Personal Information

11.1 You may edit your account information for an applicable Six
Apart Site, Product and Service by accessing your account and following
the instructions for changing account preferences and account
information.

11.2 You may delete your account by visiting the applicable account
deletion page; however, please note that some Personal Information,
primarily your contact information, may remain in our records to the
extent necessary to protect our legal interests or document compliance
with regulatory requirements.

11.3 Please be aware that, if you request that no further information
about you be collected or used, we may be required to terminate your
ability to use Six Apart’s Sites, Services and Software, including but
not limited to any site, product, or service that requires you to be
signed in to your account or otherwise identify yourself.

12. Contacting Six Apart

12.1 If you have a privacy concern regarding any Six Apart Site,
Product or Service, or this Privacy Policy, please contact our Customer
Support team or write to us at:

Six Apart Ltd.
548 4th St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
Attention: Legal Department

Last updated January 20, 2010

Copyright © 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010 Six Apart Ltd. All rights
reserved.