What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a tiny piece of text asking permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. If you agree, then your browser adds the text in a small file.

If you have set your browser to notify you before accepting a cookie, you will notice that Time Outdoors requests a cookie to be set on your computer. Its purpose is to let us know when you visit our site. This cookie, by itself, only tells us that a previous Time Outdoors visitor has returned. It doesn't tell us your e-mail address or who you are. If you want to give us that information later via registration, that's your choice.

Why are Cookies Persistent?

If the web server does not detect a Unique ID for your session, it will generate one and send it to the client in the form of a cookie. So, if you accept the cookie, you only get it once. If you do not accept the cookie, it will try to send you one with every hit until you accept it. This means every page and item on that page you request from Time Outdoors will come with a cookie request unless you already have one.

Are All Cookies The Same?

No! On the Time Outdoors website we have two kinds; temporary or session cookies, and permanent, or log cookies. Temporary cookies are necessary to maintain the user session and tell our server which page to pull up next. Permanent cookies are used to facilitate personalization and registration services.

So What Does A Cookie Do For Me, The Visitor?

There are several immediate advantages on the Time Outdoors website that you can see through the use of cookies. For example, the Events Board, Message Board, Photo Gallery and Classifieds all use cookies to personalize your online experience when you are logged on to the website.

Also, special offers from ad banners and special access areas of the site will soon be easier to use with the cookie technology. Overall, cookies help us give you a better Web site to use, by letting us monitor what's working and what isn't through site traffic analysis. For example, a cookie may allow you to tell us what information you prefer to read and what you don't.

Why Do I Need to Know This?

Because we want you to know why we ask you to accept a cookie. We want to be sure you understand that accepting a cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any personal information about you. We know that a lot of people have concerns about cookies, but in talking with many of our users, we feel that the benefit we both gain from their proper use is worthwhile. We value the relationships we have with our members and future members, so we respect these concerns.