Privacy Policy

This privacy policy (as amended from time to time, the “Privacy Policy”) was last updated on August 15, 2016.

This website, www.blacklinesandbillables.com (the “Website”), is owned and operated by Firm Formula LLC (“FF”).

Your privacy is critically important to us, and it is our policy to respect your privacy regarding any information we may collect while operating the Website.  Please read the Privacy Policy carefully and reach out to us at admin [at] blacklinesandbillables (dot) com with any questions or concerns.

A Note About the Privacy Policy

The Privacy Policy has been adapted from that of the good folks at Automattic (creators of wordpress.com, Gravatar, Askimet, etc.), who have made their own privacy policy available for use to others under a Creative Commons Sharealike license, which means that others can use and adapt the licensed content for their own purposes so long as they make the adapted content available to others under the same license.  See the quick, human-readable summary of the license here.  Please feel free to use the following under the terms of that license.

Website Visitors

Like most website operators, FF collects non-personally-identifying information of the sort that web browsers and servers typically make available, such as the browser type, language preference, referring site, and the date and time of each visitor request. FF’s purpose in collecting non-personally identifying information is to better understand how FF’s visitors use its website. From time to time, FF may release non-personally-identifying information in the aggregate, e.g., by publishing a report on trends in the usage of its website.

FF also collects potentially personally-identifying information like Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for logged in users and for users leaving comments on our blog or in our forum. FF only discloses logged in user and commenter IP addresses under the same circumstances that it uses and discloses personally-identifying information as described below, except that blog commenter IP addresses and email addresses are visible and disclosed to the administrators of the blog where the comment was left.

Gathering of Personally-Identifying Information

Certain visitors to FF’s websites choose to interact with FF in ways that require FF to gather personally-identifying information. The amount and type of information that FF gathers depends on the nature of the interaction. For example, we ask visitors who register on the Website to provide a username and email address. Those who engage in transactions with FF—by purchasing a copy of forthcoming books, for example—are asked to provide additional information, including as necessary the personal and financial information required to process those transactions. In each case, FF collects such information only insofar as is necessary or appropriate to fulfill the purpose of the visitor’s interaction with FF. FF does not disclose personally-identifying information other than as described below. And visitors can always refuse to supply personally-identifying information, with the caveat that it may prevent them from engaging in certain website-related activities.

Aggregated Statistics

FF may collect statistics about the behavior of visitors to its websites. For instance, FF may use spam screened by a spam-screening service to help identify spam. FF may display this information publicly or provide it to others. However, FF does not disclose personally-identifying information other than as described below.

Protection of Certain Personally-Identifying Information

Apart from any personally-identifying information that users choose to disclose publicly themselves (such as their Website username or other public profile information), FF discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only to those of its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations that (i) need to know that information in order to process it on FF’s behalf or to provide services available at FF’s websites, and (ii) that have agreed not to disclose it to others. Some of those employees, contractors and affiliated organizations may be located outside of your home country; by using FF’s websites, you consent to the transfer of such information to them. FF will not rent or sell potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information to anyone. Other than to its employees, contractors and affiliated organizations, as described above, FF discloses potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information only in response to a subpoena, court order or other governmental request, or when FF believes in good faith that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the property or rights of FF, third parties or the public at large. If you are a registered user of the Website and have supplied your email address, FF may occasionally send you an email to tell you about new features, to solicit your feedback, or just to keep you up to date with what’s going on with FF and our products. We primarily use the Website to communicate this type of information, so we expect to keep this type of email to a minimum. If you send us a request (for example via a support email or via one of our feedback mechanisms), we reserve the right to publish it in order to help us clarify or respond to your request or to help us support other users. FF takes all measures reasonably necessary to protect against the unauthorized access, use, alteration or destruction of potentially personally-identifying and personally-identifying information.

Cookies

A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns. FF uses cookies to help FF identify and track visitors, their usage of FF website, and their website access preferences. FF visitors who do not wish to have cookies placed on their computers should set their browsers to refuse cookies before using FF’s websites, with the drawback that certain features of FF’s websites may not function properly without the aid of cookies.

Business Transfers

If FF, or substantially all of its assets, were acquired, or in the unlikely event that FF goes out of business or enters bankruptcy, user information would be one of the assets that is transferred or acquired by a third party. You acknowledge that such transfers may occur, and that any acquirer of FF may continue to use your personal information as set forth in this policy.

Ads

Ads appearing on any of our websites may be delivered to users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement to compile information about you or others who use your computer. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by FF and does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers.

Privacy Policy Changes

FF may change its Privacy Policy from time to time and in FF’s sole discretion. FF encourages visitors to frequently check this page for any changes to its Privacy Policy.  For your convenience, we will note the most recent date of any changes at the top of this page.  Your continued use of this site after any change in this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such change.