1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how heshamhamdy.net use cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit my Website. It explains what these technologies are and why I use them, as well as your rights to control the use of them.
2. What Are Cookies?
Most websites use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small amounts of information in the form of text files sent by websites to your computer, mobile phone or other device when you visit our website. So that when you visit the site again, the cookie allows that site to recognize your browser. Cookies may store user preferences and other information. Cookies provide a convenience feature to save you time, or tell the web server that you have returned to a specific page.
Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer or mobile device.
3. Cookie Types and Their Uses
Cookies set by the website owner (in this case, Hesham Hamdy) are called “first party cookies”. Cookies set by parties other than the website owner are called “third party cookies”. Third party cookies enable third party features or functionality to be provided on or through the website (e.g. like advertising, interactive content and analytics). The parties that set these third party cookies can recognize your computer both when it visits the website in question and also when it visits certain other websites.
- Essential website cookies: These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through my website.
- Performance and functionality cookies: These cookies are used to enhance the performance and functionality of my Website but are non-essential to their use. However, without these cookies, certain functionality may become unavailable.
- Analytics and customization cookies: These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help me understand how my websites are being used or how effective my marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize my Website for you.
- Advertising cookies: These cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you. They perform functions like preventing the same ad from continuously reappearing, ensuring that ads are properly displayed for advertisers, and in some cases selecting advertisements that are based on your interests.
- Social networking cookies: These cookies are used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on my website through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes too.
4. How Can I Control Cookies?
If you don’t want to receive cookies, you can modify your browser so that you are alerted when any cookies are being placed on your computer. Additionally, you can reject all cookies or you may delete cookies that have already been set.
If you wish to restrict or block web browser cookies you may do so via your browser settings. The Help function within your browser should be able to assist you in this matter. Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org, which contains comprehensive information regarding the management of cookies on your browser. Aboutcookies.org contains both general information and specific information regarding cookies and their usage.
5. What Are Other Tracking Technologies I Use?
Cookies are not the only way to recognize or track visitors to a website. I employ a software technology called Web beacons, which are also known as clear GIFs, Web bugs or pixel tags, are often used in combination with cookies, that help me better manage the Website and Subscription Service by informing me what content is effective. Web beacons are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of Web users. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on a user’s computer hard drive, clear gifs are embedded invisibly on Web pages or in emails and are about the size of the period at the end of this sentence. I use clear gifs or pixels in my HTML-based emails to let me know which emails have been opened by recipients. This allows me to gauge the effectiveness of certain communications and the effectiveness of my marketing campaigns. I tie the information gathered by clear gifs in emails to my customers’ Personal Information.
Moreover, I use UTM parameters which are simply tags added to a URL. When a link is clicked, the tags are sent back to Google Analytics and tracked. With UTM parameters, I gauge the effectiveness of my campaigns and improve them.