Introduction
I aim to make your online experience and interaction with my website as informative, relevant, and supportive as possible. One way of achieving this is to use cookies or similar techniques, which store information about your visit to my website on your computer. I feel that it is very important that you know what cookies my website uses and for what purposes. This will help protect your privacy, while ensuring my website’s user-friendliness as much as possible. Below you can read more about the cookies used by my website and the purposes for which they are used.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that may be stored on your device by your web browser when you visit certain websites. Cookies allow websites to recognise your device and store some information about your device and past actions.
I may use similar techniques in addition to using cookies, such as pixels and web beacons. In the interest of consistency, I collectively refer to cookies and all similar techniques as ‘cookies’.
Why are cookies used?
Cookies may be used for many different purposes. For example, cookies can be used to show that you have previously visited my website and to identify which parts of the website in which you might be most interested. Cookies can also improve your online experience by storing your preferences during your visit to my website.
I use different types of cookies for different things, such as:
- Analysing how you use my website;
- Giving you a better, more personalised experience (such as by prioritising content I believe may be the most relevant to you);
- Analysing how you interact with the website after I have emailed you; and
- Analysing the effectiveness of my interactive content such as videos and podcasts.
Cookies used by my website
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for my website to function and cannot be switched off when configuring your privacy preferences on my website. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block these cookies, but some parts of my website may not work as intended as a result. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
| Name | Source | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| cookie-agreed | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the user's cookie consent state for the current domain. | 1 year |
| cookie-agreed-categories | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the user's cookie consent state on a per-category basis for the current domain. | 1 year |
| cookie-agreed-version | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the version of the Cookies Notice at the time the user's cookie consent state is set for the current domain. | 1 year |
Preference Cookies
These cookies enable my website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by me or by third party providers whose services I have added to my website. If you do not allow my website to set and read these cookies, then enhanced functionality and personalisation may not function as intended as a result.
| Name | Source | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPL* | Mitchell Willocks | Stores an authenticated user's preference to have the website keep the user logged in. | 30 days |
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow me to count visits and traffic sources so I can measure and continually improve the performance and user experience of my website. They help me to know which pages are the most and least popular and to see how visitors move around my website. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow my website to set and read these cookies, I will not know when you have visited my website, and will not be able to monitor its performance as a result.
| Name | Source | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| _pk_id | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the user's unique visitor identifier. | 13 months |
| _pk_ref | Mitchell Willocks | Stores attribution information about the referral source of the user's visit to the website. | 6 months |
| _pk_ses | Mitchell Willocks | Stores session information for the user's present session. | Session |
Marketing Cookies
These cookies allow me to collect information about how users interact with my marketing communications, such as marketing emails and marketing-related landing pages on my website.
Marketing cookies facilitate the collection of personal information such as your name and other details you choose to provide, which pages you visit on my website, and your transactions with me. Information collected through the use of marketing cookies is used to evaluate the effectiveness of my marketing campaigns.
| Name | Source | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| mautic_device_id | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the user's unique device identifier. | 1 year |
| mautic_referrer_id | Mitchell Willocks | Stores attribution information about the referral source of the user's visit to the website. | Session |
| mtc_id | Mitchell Willocks | Stores the user's unique visitor identifier. | Session |
Third-party Cookies
These cookies are cookies set by someone other than the website owner for purposes such as collecting information about user behaviour, demographics, or personalised marketing. When using my website, you may encounter embedded content, such as media hosted by external providers like Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Apple, and Twitter, or you may be directed to other websites for such activities as to complete surveys, to make payment, or to complete job applications. These websites and embedded content may use their own cookies. I do not have control over the placement of cookies by other websites, even if you are directed to them from my website.
Your choices
Choosing your cookie preferences on my website
My website will present you with options to set your cookie preferences. The website will record when you have consented to my use of cookies and will periodically ask for consent again to ensure users stay up-to-date with changes to my cookie and privacy notices.
When choosing your cookie preferences on my website, you will have granular control over the categories of cookies you will accept or reject. Strictly necessary cookies cannot be rejected when choosing your preferences, as they are technically necessary for the operation of my website.
Configuring your cookie preferences with your web browser
Many of the cookies used on my website and through emails can be accepted or rejected via the cookie preferences on my website or by rejecting the cookies via your web browser’s preferences. To reject cookies via your web browser’s preferences, follow the instructions usually located within the ‘Settings’ or ‘Preferences’ screens in your web browser.
Please note that rejecting a cookie or category of cookies via your web browser’s preferences may not automatically delete any previously set cookies from your web browser. You may clear the cookies and other website data stored by your web browser by using functions such as ‘Clear browsing data’ or ‘Manage website data’.
Last updated on 22 March 2020.