Cookies, Comments & Privacy—Oh My!
How We Handle Your Data

Who We Are

We’re all about preserving and sharing the history of Mercer County. Our digital home spans across several sites:
🌐 https://www.mercercountyhistory.com
🌐 https://www.celinahistory.com
🌐 https://www.mercerhistory.com
🌐 https://www.grandlakehistory.com

We love history, and we love our visitors. But let’s talk about the important stuff—how we handle your data.

Comments: Speak Your Mind (But Spam Beware)

When you leave a comment, we collect what you type in the form, plus your IP address and browser details. Why? Because spam bots exist, and nobody likes them.

If you use Gravatar, we may check if your email has a profile picture. Once your comment is approved, your pic will be visible next to it. Want to know more? Gravatar’s privacy policy is right here.

Media: Think Before You Upload

Sharing a photo? Awesome! But if your image contains hidden location data (EXIF GPS), just know that anyone can download and see where it was taken. If you’d rather keep that info private, strip it before uploading.

Cookies: The Internet’s Version of a Sticky Note

Love convenience? Cookies remember your name, email, and website so you don’t have to re-enter them every time you comment. They stick around for a year.

Other cookie facts:
🍪 A temporary cookie checks if your browser accepts cookies (ironic, right?). It vanishes when you close your browser.
🍪 Login cookies last two days (or two weeks if you hit “Remember Me”). Logging out removes them.
🍪 Editing or publishing an article? A cookie saves your post ID for a day.

Embedded Content: Other Websites, Same Rules

Some pages on our site include videos, images, or articles from other sites. These embedded pieces act just like they would if you visited their original website—meaning they might collect data, use cookies, and track your interaction. So if you’re logged into their site, they might know you’re watching.

Who Sees Your Data?

We don’t sell your data—no shady business here. But if you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

How Long Do We Keep Your Data?

Forever (kind of).
📝 Comments and their metadata? Indefinitely. It helps us recognize and approve follow-ups automatically.
👤 Registered users? Your profile info sticks around unless you edit or delete it (though usernames are set in stone). Admins can also see and edit your info.

Your Rights: Take Control

You can request a file of all the personal data we have on you. Want us to delete it? We can, unless we legally have to keep it.

Where Your Data Goes

To keep things clean and spam-free, comments may go through an automated spam detection service.

That’s it! No fine print tricks, just transparency. Got questions? Reach out—we’re all about making history, not making things complicated.