Privacy Policy

Storyfountain is founded on the principles of helping people to discover their talent for writing by enabling them to share what they write with one another. Storyfountain knows that you care about how your personal information is used and shared, and we take your privacy very seriously. Please read the following to learn more about our privacy policy. By visiting the Storyfountain website, you are accepting the practices outlined in this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy covers Storyfountain's treatment of personal information that Storyfountain gathers when you are on the Storyfountain website and when you use Storyfountain services. This policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that Storyfountain does not own or control, or to individuals that Storyfountain does not employ or manage.

Information Collected by Storyfountain

We only collect personal information that is relevant to the purpose of our website, which is to enable users to write and share information with one another. We do not process this information in a way that is incompatible with this objective. We collect the following types of information from our Storyfountain users:

  1. Information You Provide to Us:

    We receive and store any information you enter on our website or provide to us in any other way. You can choose not to provide us with certain information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of many of our special features.

    • Registration: In order for you to use Storyfountain services you must complete a registration form. As part of this registration form, we require personal information (including your full name and e-mail address).
    • User Profile: To allow you to express yourself beyond just the information collected during registration, we enable you to provide additional information in your user profile. In addition, you may choose to include photos of yourself in your profile.

  2. Automatic Information:

    • We receive and store certain types of information whenever you interact with us. Storyfountain and its authorized agents automatically receive and record certain "traffic data" on their server logs from your browser including your IP address, Storyfountain cookie information, and the page you requested. Storyfountain uses this traffic data to help diagnose problems with its servers, analyze trends and administer the website.
    • Storyfountain may collect and, on any page, display the total counts that page has been viewed. This includes User Profile pages.
    • Many companies offer programs that help you to visit websites anonymously. While Storyfountain will not be able to provide you with a personalized experience if we cannot recognize you, we want you to be aware that these programs are available.

E-mail Communications

Storyfountain is very concerned about your privacy and we will never provide your email address to a third party without your explicit permission, as detailed in the "Sharing Your Information" section below. Storyfountain may send out e-mails with Storyfountain-related news, products, offers, surveys or promotions. You may also receive notification e-mails from Storyfountain, which inform you of actions (e.g. friend requests) that have been performed on the site. If you do not want to receive e-mail from us, please visit the Email Preferences section of your User Profile and/or follow the instructions contained in the unwanted e-mail message. However, please note that in all cases you will continue to receive all system e-mails (e.g. those regarding forgotten user passwords) and legal notices (e.g. updates to our policies) from us.

Cookies

  • Cookies are alphanumeric identifiers that we transfer to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser to enable our systems to recognize your browser and tell us how and when pages in our website are visited and by how many people. Storyfountain cookies do not collect personal information, and we do not combine information collected through cookies with other personal information to tell us who you are or what your screen name or e-mail address is.
  • The "help" portion of the toolbar on the majority of browsers will direct you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to command the browser to tell you when you receive a new cookie, or how to fully disable cookies. We recommend that you leave the cookies activated because cookies allow you to use some of Storyfountain's coolest features.
  • Like the vast majority of sites on the interwebs nowadays, Storyfountain's advertising partners may place a cookie on your browser that makes it possible to collect anonymous non-personally identifiable information that ad delivery systems use to present more relevant ads. We don't like dancing monkeys either, so we think most of you would rather receive relevant ads than untargeted ones.

Sharing Your Information

Because Storyfountain enables people to discover and share information with one another, information about the people who use Storyfountain is an integral part of the Storyfountain experience. Rest assured that we neither rent nor sell your personal information to anyone and that we will share your personal information only as described below.

  • Storyfountain Personnel: Storyfountain personnel and authorized consultants and/or contractors may have access to user information if necessary in the normal course of Storyfountain business.
  • Business Transfers: In some cases, we may choose to buy or sell assets. In these types of transactions, user information is typically one of the business assets that is transferred. Moreover, if Storyfountain, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred.
  • Protection of Storyfountain and Others: We may release personal information when we believe in good faith that release is necessary to comply with a law; to enforce or apply our Terms of Use and other policies; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Storyfountain, our employees, our users, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organizations for fraud protection and credit risk reduction.
  • User Profile information: Information collected during registration and subsequent visits, such as your full name and location, may be displayed to other Storyfountain users in your User Profile. The User Profile is the area on Storyfountain where we allow you to tell other Storyfountain users about yourself and your interests. You may control what personal information is displayed in your User Profile by visiting the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile.
  • Member Directory: The e-mail address that you submit upon registration will be searchable by other Storyfountain users who know you by your email address, unless you choose to opt out of this feature. This is primarily so that other users can find you to establish friendship through Storyfountain. You may opt-out of this feature by visiting the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile.
  • Social sharing of data: Storyfountain allows other users to browse stories that you have created or commented on. This information is made available via your User Profile or within the permalink URL of the story on which you performed the action. Storyfountain may choose to post this data on other site features.
  • Syndication: Storyfountain allows for the RSS syndication of all of its public content within the Storyfountain website.
  • With Your Consent: Except as noted above, we will contact you when your personal information is shared with third parties or used for a purpose incompatible with the purpose(s) for which it was originally collected, and you will be able to opt out to prevent the sharing of this information.

Keeping Information Secure

  • Your Storyfountain account information is protected by a password for your privacy and security. Protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer by logging off once you have finished using a shared computer.
  • Only employees who need personal information to perform a specific job (for example, a customer service representative) are granted access to it. All of our employees are kept up to date on our privacy and security practices.

Ways to Control Display and Use of Your Information

  • As stated previously, you can always opt not to disclose information, but then you may be unable to use certain features on our website, such as posting new links.
  • By visiting your User Profile, you can correct, amend, add or delete personal information on our website. When you update information, however, we often maintain a copy of the unrevised information in our records.
  • You may request deletion of your Storyfountain account by e-mailing us at feedback@storyfountain.de
  • If you do not wish to receive e-mail from us or other Storyfountain users, please visit the Email Preferences section of your User Profile and/or follow the instructions contained in the unwanted e-mail message.
  • However, please note that you will continue to receive all system e-mails (e.g. those regarding forgotten user passwords) and legal notices (e.g. updates to our policies) from us.
  • If you do not wish to have people who know you by your email address find you via the Member Directory service, please visit the Privacy Settings section of your User Profile to opt out of this feature.
  • As explained earlier, the "help" portion of the toolbar on the majority of browsers will direct you on how to prevent your browser from accepting new cookies, how to command the browser to tell you when you receive a new cookie, or how to fully disable cookies. Please note, however, that if your browser does not accept cookies, you will not be able to take advantage of some of our attractive features.

Children Under 18 Years of Age

You must be 13 years and older to register to use the Storyfountain website. As a result, Storyfountain does not specifically collect information about children. If we learn that Storyfountain has collected information from a child under the age of 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. We recommend that minors between the ages of 13 and 18 ask and receive their parents' permission before using Storyfountain or sending information about themselves or anyone else over the Internet.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Storyfountain may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time, at its sole discretion. Use of information we collect now is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time such information is used. If we make changes to the Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting an announcement on the Storyfountain website so you are always aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances if any, it is disclosed.

Conditions of Use

If you decide to visit Storyfountain website, your visit and any possible dispute over privacy is subject to this Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use, including limitations on damages, arbitration of disputes, and application of German law.

Effective Date of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of September 1, 2008.