Privacy policy

This policy explains what Porch Stories collects when you visit porchstoriesjournal.com, why, and what you can ask us to do with it. Questions: hello@porchstoriesjournal.com.

What we collect

• When you join our list (the free questions, the waitlist or the popup): your email address, who you are asking (Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa or someone else, if you choose), the page you signed up on, and the campaign that brought you, if the link had one (utm source, medium and campaign).
• When you write to us through the contact form: your name if you give it, your email address and your message.
• When you buy: purchases are made on Etsy (and, for hardcovers, on Amazon). Those marketplaces handle payment; we never see your card details. Etsy shares the order details we need to support you.
• When you order a personalized printed book: the names and words you type for the book, your email address, and the shipping name, address and phone number. We pass the shipping details and the print files to our printing partner and the carrier so the book can be made and delivered, and for nothing else.
• Basic technical data such as your browser type and IP address, which our hosting provider processes to deliver and protect the site.

Why we use it

• To send the free questions and occasional emails about our journals. Every email has an unsubscribe link.
• To answer your messages and help with orders and files.
• To understand which pages and campaigns are useful, so we can improve them.

Who helps us

• Cloudflare hosts the website, stores sign-ups and contact messages, and counts visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which does not use cookies.
• MailerLite sends our emails and stores the list.
• Etsy and Amazon process purchases under their own privacy policies.

Cookies and analytics

We keep a small note in your browser so the signup popup does not show again after you close it, and remember the campaign that brought you during your visit. We also use Google Analytics and the Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Pixel to measure visits, sign-ups and clicks through to our shops, and to show our journals to people who may like them. These services set their own cookies and receive information such as the pages you view and your device and browser details. Visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland are asked first, and these tools only load after you choose Accept. Everywhere else they load with a notice, and you can decline. You can change your choice at any time with Cookie settings at the bottom of every page, block or delete cookies in your browser, and opt out of personalized ads in your Google and Meta account settings. We also set one small cookie with your country code so the site knows whether to ask.

Our social publishing tool

Porch Stories uses its own private publishing tool to post our own content to our own accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube and X. When we connect one of those accounts, the tool receives access tokens from that platform. We use them only to publish posts we wrote and approved, to read the statistics of our own posts, and to confirm which account is connected. We do not access anyone else's accounts or data. Tokens are encrypted, kept only as long as the account stays connected, never sold or shared, and deleted when we disconnect.

YouTube: this tool uses YouTube API Services. By using it you are bound by the YouTube Terms of Service; see also the Google Privacy Policy. Access can be revoked at any time at Google security settings.

TikTok, Pinterest, Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) and X: access can be revoked at any time in each platform's own settings (connected apps). Their privacy policies: TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, X. To have any data from these connections deleted, see data deletion or email hello@porchstoriesjournal.com.

How long we keep it

List details stay until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them. Contact messages are kept as long as needed to help you and for our records.

Your choices

You can unsubscribe at any time with the link in any email. You can ask to see, correct or delete the data we hold about you by emailing hello@porchstoriesjournal.com.

Children

This site is meant for adults and does not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page.