Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. Therefore, we are pleased to provide this notice explaining our SouthernCruising.comTM practices for online use of your information. This way you can make an informed decision about the use of our site.
Information We Collect
SouthernTravelNews.com™ and sister site SouthernCruising.com™ provide forms for reader feedback, general comments, blog comments and trip/cruise reports. In addition, we provide a button and sign-up sheet for readers to access a weekly e-zine we will begin sending, effective April 1. These forms do require some personal information to assure the validity of comments and information submitted.
The types of personally identifiable information that may be collected for this purpose include your name, address, email address and information about your interests and experiences with a vacation or trip, or questions about future trips, as well as other information we deem necessary to fulfill your requests.
If you choose to submit reader feedback, blog questions or trip reports (that may or may not be published), we may publish your screen name and other information you have provided to us, such as your home town. Generally we try not to provide your email address, nor your full name, nor your full address including street number, although we cannot guarantee this should an oversight occur.
We also may collect certain non-personally identifiable information from all readers using our site -- when they visit our individual web pages. For example, we may gather information about the type of browser you are using, whether that's Internet Explorer, Netscape or another browser. We also may gather information about the type of operating system you are using, such as Windows XP or Mac OS. We also may collect the domain name of your Internet service provider, such as Verizon or America Online.
At times, we may choose to use non-personally identifiable information that we collect so we may improve the design and content of our site. It may help us personalize your Internet experience, analyze site statistics or offer you products, programs, or services.
In addition, while the above privacy measures are in place to generally protect reader privacy, we may, at times, void those policies in response to legitimate requests from government agencies, law enforcement, a court order, subpoena or any other legal system process. We will also on a selective basis disclose information in response to to a government or law enforcement agency's request, or where we feel or are legally advised it's needed to investigate, prevent or take action related to illegal activities, suspect fraud, situations involving threats to the safety of any person, violations of our terms of use or as required by law.
We may also transfer information about you if we are acquired by or merged with another company.
Although we have reasonable measures in place to protect unauthorized disclosures of information, we cannot assure you that personally identifiable information that we collect will not be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this privacy statement.
We may on occasion combine information we receive online with outside records to enhance our ability to market to you those products or services that may be of interest to you. Those communications will have an opt-out option if you should wish not to receive those in the future. Or email us at admin@southerntravelnews.com with your contact information and say "remove from marketing lists."
Cookies and Web Beacons
We may use cookies to help us understand site usage and to improve what's offered online. Cookies do not -- on their own -- tell us your e-mail address or other personally identifiable information unless you choose to provide this information to us, such as by filling out a feedback form or reader trip report. Once you do provide that personally identifiable information, however, it may be linked to the data stored in the cookie. We may use cookies to offer you products, programs, or services.
At times, we also may use "Web beacons" -- basically pieces of code placed on a Web page to monitor behavior and to collect data about how many visitors view a web page and for other purposes. For example, we might count how many visitors a day visit the North Carolina page. Or we might use a Web beacon to deliver a cookie to your browser.
Sponsors, Advertisers, Third-Party Sites and Ad Servers
Once you click a sponsor link or advertiser banner on our site, or if you click a Web link to a particular travel supplier or tourism organization on any page within our site, you will reach a site that may have privacy practices very different from our own. Readers should review those other sites' privacy notices as we have no control over information that is submitted to or collected by any third parties.
If we offer content that is sponsored or co-branded, the third parties may obtain personally identifiable information that visitors voluntarily submit to participate in the site activity. That might include a survey or contest. Again, SouthernTravelNews.com™ and SouthernCruising.com™ have no control over these sites and the third parties' use of your information.
At times, we may use a third party ad server (Google, for example) to present advertisements you see on our Web pages. These third party ad servers may use cookies, web beacons, clear .gifs or similar technologies to help present such advertisements. These techniques are also used for measurement and research purposes. Again, this is covered by the third parties' own policies not our own.
Our Security Practices
Our Web design firm, which handles our hosting, has assured us it has reasonable security measures in place to protect your private information. We also have virus protection and firewall protection programs in place on any computers used to upload information to our site and secure your information. That said, errors can and do occur. Be advised that we accept no responsibility for security problems that occur on the part of our Web hosting agency, email distributor, or any Web development firm.
Parents' Information
This site is designed for a general adult audience. Most (but not necessarily all) material is suitable for children. Parental discretion is required, as we are an online newspaper so we cover issues that might be covered in any other newspaper or magazine.
We generally will not divulge one reader's address or personal information to another reader, but there always may be exceptions should an inadvertent error occur. Again, online, we generally only use a first name and city or an Internet ID and city, not a street address or email or phone number.
Contacting Us & Updates
Any questions? Email us at admin@southerntravelnews.com