Mmm... delicious (digital) cookies.

Welcome to yet another legal policy, but with a delicious twist. In this policy, we'll break down how we use cookies to enhance your experience, and help us keep servers running. 😉‍

Let’s start with defining the word "cookie" in the digital realm.

To put it simply, a cookie is a way to track your website activity. I know, not the best simple definition in a time when social media companies are appearing before Congress to testify about data privacy. Cookies may sound invasive on the surface, but they're normal and an important part of your internet browsing experience.

We like to think of cookies as a two-way street. They're useful allies for both the website owner and visitor alike.‍

How cookies benefit website owners (a.k.a. yours truly)

For website owners, they help track the amount of links clicked, an approximate location of where users access the site, the type of device used to acces it, and other important aspects of the user experience. Website owners often leverage such data to cater their interface to the type of user accessing content the most.

For instance, if a website owner discovers 74% of website traffic comes from iPhone users, they might make certain design changes to prioritize enhancements to the mobile browsing experience, rather than desktop.‍

How cookies benefit visitors (a.k.a. wonderful you)

Visitors benefit heavily from cookies, too! Have you ever visited an online store, loaded up your shopping cart, and left the site without making a purchase? Chances are you returned to the same site to find your shopping cart still loaded with the same items you selected.

How about sites where you enter your username and password, and each time you return, you're brought straight to your account without having to re-enter your credentials again and again.

Both examples demonstrate the power of digital cookies. Cookies streamline the user experience, as well as the website owner's ability to craft that experience. They help facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship.‍

How we use cookies.

So, how does DTECH Cube use cookies to enhance your experience? Well, in the exact same ways mentioned above (minus the online store coming soon… 🛒), and more.

1. First, we use cookies to allow the items you compare on our site to stay in queue the next time you visit. For example, you visit dtechcube.com on your computer and use the comparison tool. Then, you close your tab and carry on with other tasks. Later on, you return to the comparison tool and find that the tools you were previously comparing are still selected. Pretty convenient, right? That's accomplished with cookies.
2. Second, cookies help us identify general data about how you're accessing our site. This includes the city or region you're accessing our site from, like San Francisco, CA (go 49ers 🏈) and the type of device you're using, like an Android, iPhone, or Mac, and whether you're accessing from a public or private network. This information helps us cater our site's user experience to specific devices and streamline our internal processes.
3. Last, we use cookies to track the external links you click, particularly affiliate links provided to us by some (not all) vendors on our site. You'll find a brief disclaimer at the bottom of every Infoboard for merchants we have an affiliate relationship with. Affiliate links do not alter your experience, nor do they cost you anything when you click on them. They simply allow us to receive a small commission if you decide to purchase a subscription on their website, after using our link. It's how we keep the servers running and enhance our services for you. Most importantly, it's how we keep our site ad-free (because we hate ads as much as you do, no matter how much money they could make us).

While many other sites in our space are involved in affiliate marketing, we take a more transparent and innovative approach. Other sites focus on redirecting you to a vendor's website immediately upon clicking a tool you want to learn more about. That's because they focus on being a software directory, while we focus on software enablement.

Linking you directly to a vendor's website without any context puts you in the lion's den of sales pitches and up-sells. We preface every tool on our site with facts and reviews, so you at least have an idea of what you're about to get into. The cookies we use to track your link clicks are secondary to equipping you with the foundational knowledge you need to make more informed decisions about products you're interested in.‍

Bringing it all home.

We hope you now understand the value of digital cookies. They're the internet's way of making your browsing experience smooth like batter (pun intended).

But hey, if this still concerns you, don't worry. You can learn more about what data we collect in our Privacy Policy or check out our blog post on how to clear your browser cookies.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us at privacy@dtechcube.com, and we'll be happy to answer your questions or concerns.

Thanks for reading! We hope you find the tools you need to build the ultimate digital toolbox. 🚀

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