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Privacy Policy
Effective Date: January 27, 2012
HistoryWorldRankings.com ("HistoryWorldRankings" or "we") is committed to protecting your privacy and to giving you control of the use of information that you provide. As an interative social web site which connects people around the world, we allow users to enter various information about themselves in order to enhance their experience. A HistoryWorldRankings account is required in order to use many site functions, such as ranking one's favorites and posting in forums. We also monitor usage of the site.
This HistoryWorldRankings.com Privacy Policy describes in detail the information that we collect, how it is used, and the options that you are provided.
Personal Information/User Content Submissions
- Registered Users. In order to rank your favorites and participate in many of the site features, you must sign up for a HistoryWorldRankings account. When you sign up, you enter various initial data such an e-mail address and password, to protect your account from unauthorized access. After signing up, you may choose to enter other data.
- Profile Data. When you create an account, you acquire a HistoryWorldRankings-branded url and Profile page that is publically-accessible (example: http://historyworldrankings.com/username). This web page displays your Fav Rankings, Categories that you Own, and any personal data that you choose to display on it. Your profile data includes your user icon (which may be uploaded from your PC), e-mail address, location, web site, about me text, interest keywords, and birth date. On the Edit Profile page in Control Panel, there is a "Display on Profile?" option next to each of these items. You may select to display the item on your profile by choosing "Yes". You may decline to display the item on your profile by choosing "No". By default, your user icon, location, web site, about me text, and interest keywords are displayed on your profile.
- Rankings Data. The HistoryWorldRankings social community is built around allowing users to rank their favorites in a given category (such as "Favorite Movies"). These user rankings contribute to a composite World Ranking for that category, which allows determination of the World's Favorites based on a weighted point system. All user rankings contribute to the World Ranking. Both the User Ranking and the World Ranking are publically accessible.
- My Stats. In addition to providing the World Ranking, HistoryWorldRankings offers demographic-based graphs and stats displays for each category. Linked from the World Ranking, these demographic stats break down the user rankings by demographic group. For example, in the category of Favorite Movies, a demographic graph and stats display would exist for both the Male and Female demographic groups. In order to make your user rankings count in these demographic features, you must select your demographic group on the Edit My Stats page of Control Panel. The demographics that may be entered are: Gender, Ethnicity, Height, Marital Status, Religion, Sexual Orientation, Occupation, Education, Income, Country of Residence, State of Residence, Political Affiliation, Smoke, Drink, Exercise, Optimist/Pessimist, Realist/Idealist, and Logical/Intuitive.
Any number of these demographics may be entered. Entering a demographic will make all of your user rankings count in the demographic stats for each ranking's associated category, and these additional stats will be accessible via a link from those categories' World Rankings. The user rankings themselves are also linked from the World Ranking, and each user ranking displays a link to your profile page.
Optionally, your "My Stats" demographic data can be displayed on your HistoryWorldRankings Profile page. This option, titled "Display My Stats?", is available on the Edit Profile page of Control Panel. You may select to display My Stats on your profile by choosing "Yes". You may decline to display My Stats on your profile by choosing "No". By default, My Stats are displayed on your profile.
As one of the primary functions of HistoryWorldRankings is to help users connect with one another, your MyStats data may optionally be used to allow users to find you via user searches. This option may be toggled via the Edit Preferences page of Control Panel.
It is important to note that, while choosing to enter My Stats data, choosing whether to display My Stats data on your HistoryWorldRankings Profile page, and choosing whether to allow users to find you via My Stats user searches are all optional, the My Stats data that you enter may still be linked or associated with your user account by other users who access the site. When you choose to enter My Stats data (the demographic data listed above), you are choosing to allow HistoryWorldRankings to incorporate and display this data in the graphs and statistical displays of all World Rankings/Categories that you have created a user ranking for. Although your user account name will not be listed directly beside of this data on the World Ranking's graphs and statistical displays, it will count toward these numbers, and, since your user ranking is linked from the same World Ranking, it may be possible for a user to reason and decipher your demographic data, since you were the user who created the user ranking. Therefore, please enter only the My Stats Demographic data that you feel comfortable entering, and this data will make your user rankings count in the demographic graphs and statistical displays of the World Rankings/Categories for which you have created a user ranking.
- Comments/Forum Posts - Registered users have the opportunity to submit a variety text-based content on HistoryWorldRankings features such as forums, profile pages, item pages, etc. These submissions become publically available.
- Image Uploads - Any images that you upload (such as icons for items that are ranked) become publically available and are displayed on the site.
- Private Messages - Registered users are allowed to send messages to other users. These messages are similar to e-mail in that they are initially only available to that user, but may later be forwarded to other users if the receipt chooses.
Web Site Usage Information
- Cookies. When you register as a HistoryWorldRankings user and log in, a HistoryWorldRankings.com cookie is stored on your computer. A cookie is a small file that contains a string of alphanumeric characters. This allows you to remain logged in without having to re-enter your username and password each time you visit the site.
Furthermore, Google, as a third party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads on this site. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it and its partners to serve ads to this site's users based on their visit(s) to this site and/or other sites on the internet. Users may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy.
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.
- Usage Statistics During normal usage of HistoryWorldRankings by a registered user, we may store usage statistics such as which pages on the site that you visit, the time of day that you access the site, your IP Address, etc. This information is used internally to provide you with a better user experience, and it will not be made publically available. When you are logged in, it may be used to recommend categories and rankings for you to view, based on your past browsing experience.
Our Use of Information
- Non-Publically Available Information. We use non-publically available information (based on your choices) internally to provide you with a customized user experience where applicable.
- Publically Available Information. We use also publically available information to enhance your user experience, and this may be viewed by anyone who accesses the site.
- Contact Information. We may occasionally e-mail you about site updates, new features, etc., depending on your preferences. These e-mails may be opted out of on the Edit Preferences page of Control Panel.
Privacy Policy Updates
This privacy policy may change, although such changes will likely be minimal. The new privacy policy is effective upon its posting and may be accessed at http://historyworldrankings.com/privacy_policy.php. This page should be viewed occassionally to check for any privacy policy changes. The effective date of the current privacy policy will be listed at the top of the page. Continued usage of the site constitutes acceptance of the privacy policy.
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