Wordpress "Cookies" widget?

Everything to do with using your own website to advertise your rental property. Design, usability, hosting, getting listed on the search engines, optimising your site, pay-per-click, etc, etc.
Emmy
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Location: Charente
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Wordpress "Cookies" widget?

Post by Emmy »

Hello... I wondered if anyone could please recommend a simple Wordpress widget for cookies, please? I'm thinking of GDPR...

My Promote My Place website has one built in, but my Sewing Holidays website doesn't and instead of just downloading one and hoping for the best, I thought I'd ask on here. I'd be interested to hear which you use.
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

Good question. I've got WordPress sites too. I'm not sure that they even use cookies.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Emmy
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Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 10:01 am
Location: Charente
Contact:

Post by Emmy »

Hi Joanna... Oh... I thought all websites used cookies! Something else to investigate... Thanks for making me look into this!
Joanna
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Post by Joanna »

Just had a quick look - WordPress uses cookies for logins so that's only relevant if you have the kind of site where users can login and make comments. Also, may apply if you use plugins for things like Google analytics which track how people move through the site. That might include Jetpack too, which a lot of people have.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Vince
Posts: 112
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:11 am
Location: Javea, Spain

Post by Vince »

Emmy,

The GDPR is more than for just cookies, I'm afraid. Depending on how you do business you may have to do a lot or a little work.

Looking at your website, you don't do any online bookings that I can see, however you do have a contact page :

http://www.textileholidaysfrance.com/?page_id=1546

Strictly speaking, to be absolutely compliant with the GDPR you should explain on your website how the "data subject's" (the person emailing you) personally identifyable information (PII) will be used by you.

The liklihood is that you, like the majority of us, only retain email addresses to contact the subjects. If, however, you use the address to send promotional materials (eg. newsletters) later on then you must give them the opportunity to opt-in to receiving those messages. Do NOT assume that they'll be happy to opt out after receiving the first message, an important part of the GDPR is that they have to actively opt-in.

Another provision on the GDPR is that you have to state what PII you will maintain, and for how long. You also have to demonstrate that you're only storing that PII for what's considered a reasonable amount of time (entirely subjective).

On top of that, you have to give people the opportunity to download all of their PII (including names and email addresses), and to have you delete or anonymise the PII on request, except if that affects how your business runs. So, for open bookings (remember, we're on LMH so even if you don't take bookings, other readers will) you wouldn't want to delete or anonymise the contacter, however for older contacters you could safely do that.


It looks like a whole ton of work, especially for smaller businesses, and to do it right it is. I suspect that for the first year or more you will not hear much about it, however after that time more and more small businesses will be under the cosh to comply.

That's my guess, IANAL etc.
Vince
Posts: 112
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:11 am
Location: Javea, Spain

Post by Vince »

A bit more information for you.

I sell an online booking engine called Jomres. I'm not suggesting you use it, it's not targetted to most LMH users as it's more of an OTA type system. I hang around here because you people help me to understand the trials and tribulations you experience as property owners/managers.

Here's an update I did just yesterday about GDPR related changes to Jomres : http://www.jomres.net/manual/site-manag ... d-the-gdpr

This explains in some length the changes that I've made to the system to make it GDPR compliant. All of those requirements I mention on that page are, if you're going to be compliant, areas you also need to address if you store any PII (that includes names and email addresses) in the course of your business.
Jason
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Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:23 pm
Location: West Somerset
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GDPR

Post by Jason »

What ho all,

Some WordPress websites use cookies – mine does.

Also, I don't know if anyone here uses Facebook ads, but if you use the Facebook pixel, that is effectively a cookie.
Joanna
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Location: Chester, North West England & Sidmouth, East Devon
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Post by Joanna »

I've installed the Cookie Notice plugin by dFactory. It adds a simple bar at the top or bottom of the page. You can edit the message and then users click OK to accept cookies. There's the option to add a link to your cookie policy page.

It also has other options to do with stopping cookies if users choose to continue without them. I have no idea how to set that up so I'm ignoring it for now!

I'm not sure if this makes us strictly GDPR compliant - as far as I can tell the only evidence that users have accepted our cookies is in a cookie stored in their browser. That means we don't have proof that they did accept.

If anyone else has discovered anything better please let us know. I have spent way too much time on this already.
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
Emmy
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2016 10:01 am
Location: Charente
Contact:

Post by Emmy »

Thank you all so much for these really helpful replies! Sorry to be so slow in acknowledging them. I've now got about 24 hours to organise this.....
Joanna
Posts: 1091
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:12 pm
Location: Chester, North West England & Sidmouth, East Devon
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Post by Joanna »

Just found this which explans it all very well specifically for WordPress users:
http://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-gui ... =gdprguide
Jo

Joint owner of Baker's Cottage in Chester & Chandler's Cottage in Sidmouth
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