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PRIVACY POLICY Last updated June 4, 2010 SoBizNetwork.com was built to help make it easier for you to connect and share information with your friends and personal networks. It also helps to keep you informed about local businesses and promotional events that pertain to your personal interests. You are given the control over your information and the type of communication that you prefer to receive. Our default privacy settings limit the information displayed in your profile to your networks and other reasonable community limitations that we disclose to you. The privacy policy detailed below is designed to help you understand how we collect and use the personal information you decide to share and help you make informed decisions when using this website. Your use of the Service constitutes acceptance of this Privacy Policy and creates a binding legal agreement, so read them carefully. This Privacy Policy applies only to information that you provide to us through the Site, and when you access, download, purchase or use any information, services, products or content appearing on the Site. This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on the Site. You should consult this Privacy Policy regularly for any changes. Any reference to us, our, we or similar words shall refer to this Site and its affiliates thereto. 1. THE PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT 1.1. It is our policy to respect the privacy of the people who use the Services (each a "User," collectively the "Users"). Therefore, we will not disclose to any unauthorized third-party a Users name or contact information. We will also not monitor, edit or disclose the contents of a Users information unless required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (1) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on us; (2) protect and defend our rights or property; (3) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Users or the public; (4) to prevent or stop any activity we may consider to be, or to pose a risk of being, illegal, unethical, inappropriate or legally actionable; or (5) fix or debug problems with our servers/software/service. 1.2. Registration. In order to become a User you must first create an account on our website. When you register to become a member of the Site and in the course of using the Site, you voluntarily submit Personally Identifiable Information that can be used to contact or identify you and administer your account ("Personal Information"). Personal information may include, but is not limited to, your name, phone number and e-mail address. The Site may also collect Personal Information from you if you choose to opt-in to participate in sweepstakes, surveys, contests or competitions. When you register with the Site, you create your own profile and privacy settings. 1.3. Profile Information. Once you become a User you may provide additional information in the Profile Section beyond what is required for registration to better identify yourself, find new friends, and opportunities on the system. Your profile information as well as your name, e-mail and photo, are displayed to people you have specified in your privacy settings. Profile information you submit to the Site and make public via your privacy settings, will also be available to other users via searching our Site, and may be available to third-party search engines. This is primarily so your friends can find you and the content you create and store on the Site. We recommend that you guard your anonymity and sensitive information and that you not use your real name as your screen or user name to the extent that allows others to identify you. 1.4. Contacts Information. In order to invite others to connect with you directly in SoBizNetwork.com, you may use the services to invite them if they are a User, or enter their names and email addresses. This information will be used to send your invitation including a message that you write. The names and email addresses of people that you invite will be used only to send your invitation(s) and reminders. You may also choose to manually enter or upload data about your contacts into the private "My contacts" section of SoBizNetwork.com. All information entered there will only be viewable by you and will not be searchable by others in the network without your permission. All information that you enter or upload about your contacts will be covered by the same terms of this privacy policy as cover your own information. 1.5. Customer Services. SoBiz may collect information through the website in order to, among other things, accurately categorize and respond to a customer's inquiry and deliver appropriate service levels. 1.6. Log Data. As you use the Site, our servers automatically record information that the browser sends whenever it points to a Site or online service ("Log Data"). Log Data may include, but is not limited to, your computers Internet Protocol address, browser type, the web page you were visiting before you came to one of the Site and information you search for on a Site. 2. HOW WE USE PERSONAL INFORMATION 2.1. Personal Information is used for the following purposes: (i) to provide and improve our services, features and content; (ii) to administer your use of our services and your account; (iii) to enable users to enjoy and easily navigate the Site; (iv) to better understand your needs and interests; (v) to fulfill requests you may make; (vi) to personalize your experience; (vii) to provide service announcements; and (viii) to provide you with further information and offers from us or third parties that we believe you may find useful or interesting including newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information on related services. If you decide at any time that you no longer wish to receive such communications, please follow the unsubscribe instructions provided in any of the communications. Further, you may easily adjust your privacy and e-mail settings via your account settings at any time. 2.2. Teaming with Other Organizations to Offer Combined and Other Services. SoBiz may offer our services in connection with other websites (including updates about the service) or may team with other online services to give you the combined results of both services or additional services and benefits. We only work with trusted Partners. Because of SoBiz's trust in these Partners, Platform Applications or services designed by a Partner may be automatically granted permission to access account information to provide the combined services. Platform Developers are required to agree to restrictions on access, storage and usage of your information. However, while we typically enter into contractual agreements and take technical steps to restrict possible misuse of such information by such Platform Developers, we may not screen or approve Platform Developers, and we cannot and do not guarantee that all Platform Developers will abide by such restrictions and agreements. Certain actions you take through the Platform Applications will be displayed to your connections. You understand that your use of any Platform Applications is on an "as is" basis without any warranty as to the Platform Developers' actions. 2.3. Surveys and Polls. As a User, you will receive requests to participate in market research including polls and surveys submitted by other website members. If you participate in surveys and polls offered through our website, the information you provide may be visible to others using the website. 2.4. Forums/Chats/Blog. If you post on the website, or use a bulletin board, import a blog, or participate in a chat room on the website, you should be aware that any Personally Identifiable Information you choose to provide there can be read, collected, or used by other Users of these forums, as well as Platform Developers and other third parties, and could be used to send you unsolicited messages. SoBiz is not responsible for the Personally Identifiable Information you choose to submit in these forums. 2.5. Testimonials and Advertisement Placed through Direct Ads Service. If you provide any testimonials about the service or place advertisements through the DirectAds services, we may post those testimonials and examples of advertisements you place in connection with the website?s promotion of its service(s) to third parties, which testimonials and advertisements may include your name and other personal information that you have provided. 2.6. Communications to other Users. Many emails you initiate through SoBiz, e.g., an invitation sent to a non-User, will list your email address and name in the header of the message. Emails you initiate may also provide aggregate information about your network (for instance how many people are in your network), but will not list the people to whom you are directly connected to. Other communications that you initiate through the website, like a request for contact, will list your name as the initiator but will not include your personal contact information. Your contact information will only be shared with another User if both of you have indicated that you would like to establish contact with each other. 2.7. Third-party Advertising. Advertisements that appear on the website are sometimes delivered (or "served") directly to users by third-party advertisers. They automatically receive your IP address when this happens. These third-party advertisers may also download cookies to your computer, or use other technologies such as JavaScript and "web beacons" (also known as "1x1 gifs") to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. Doing this allows the advertising network to recognize your computer each time they send you an advertisement in order to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. In this way, they may compile information about where individuals using your computer or browser saw their advertisements and determine which advertisements are clicked. This website does not have access to or control of the cookies that may be placed by the third-party advertisers. Third-party advertisers have no access to your contact information stored on this website unless you choose to share it with them. This privacy policy covers the use of cookies by this website and does not cover the use of cookies or other tracking technologies by any of its advertisers. 3. PRIVACY POLICY AND CONSUMER EDUCATION 3.1. Children's Privacy. We do not direct the Site to persons under 13 years of age, and require Users under 17 to have parent supervision or approval. Accordingly, we do not knowingly collect or maintain on the Site personally identifying or other information from persons under 13 years of age. If a parent or guardian becomes aware that his or her child has provided us with Personal Information without their consent, he or she should contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided us with Personal Information, we will delete such information from our files. We recommend that minors under the age of 17 ask a parent or guardian for permission before sending any information about themselves to anyone over the Internet. 3.2. Consumer Education Related to Social Networking. Creating a safe social networking environment is important to us. While we do not target or knowingly allow users under 18 to use the Service, interested persons may visit the following links created by the Federal Trade Commission to learn more about social networking safety tips: 4. HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION 4.1. Cookies. Like many websites we use "cookies" to collect information. A cookie is a small data file that we transfer to your computer?s hard disk for record-keeping purposes. We use "persistent cookies" to save your username and login password for future logins to the Site. We use "session ID cookies" to enable certain features of our service, to better understand how you interact with the Site, and to monitor web traffic routing on the Site and aggregate usage of the Site. You can instruct your browser, by changing its options, to stop accepting cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie from the websites you visit. If you do not accept cookies, however, you may not be able to use all portions of the Site or all functionality of the services. 4.2. We also use the services of a third-party advertising companies and advertising networks to serve ads to you on our behalf when you visit the Site. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/optout_nonppii.asp. 4.3. Web Beacons: We allow other companies, called ad networks, to serve advertisements to Users. Ad networks include third-party ad servers, ad agencies, ad technology vendors and research firms. SoBiz may target some ads to Users that fit a certain general profile, for example, "product managers in Texas". To deliver these ads properly SoBiz may include a file, called a web beacon, from these ad networks within pages served by the website so the networks may provide anonymity, aggregated auditing, research and reporting for advertisers as well as to target ads to you while you visit other websites. Because your web browser must request these advertisements and web beacons from the ad network's servers, these companies can view, edit or set their own cookies, just as if you had requested a web page from their site. These general targets may also be used by ad networks to display targeted ads on other websites as a substitute for random, irrelevant ads. 4.4. Log files, IP addresses. Due to the communications standards on the Internet, when you visit SoBiz we automatically receive the URL of the site from which you came and the site to which you are going when you leave the site. We also receive the Internet protocol (IP) address of your computer (or the proxy server you use to access the World Wide Web), your computer operating system and type of web browser you are using, email patterns, as well as the name of your ISP. This information is used to analyze overall trends to help us improve SoBiz services. The linkage between your IP address and your Personally Identifiable Information is not shared with third-parties without your permission or except when required by law. Internal research on our member's usage patterns, demographics, interests, and general behavior helps to better understand and service you and our community needs. 5. INFORMATION SHARING AND DISCLOSURE 5.1. Members. In addition to your username, any comments or submissions that you post to the Site will be publicly available. You post and share your Personal Information and content on the Site at your own risk. While we go to great lengths to create a safe and enjoyable experience on the Site, we cannot control the actions of other users with whom you may choose to share your content and/or profile information. In addition, we cannot anticipate other users' abilities to circumvent privacy settings. You understand that, even after removal of your Personal Information and content from the Site, copies of your information may remain viewable in cached or archived Web pages or on the local computers of users who may have downloaded or stored your information. Even with all the appropriate precautions we take to protect your information, we recommend you refrain from sending private information or Personal Information by e-mail, chat, or other messaging services. 5.2. Consent to Processing Information About You. Certain information you provide to SoBiz may reveal, or allow others to identify your nationality, ethnic origin, religion or other aspects of your private life, and more generally about you. Please be aware that in providing information to the website for the purposes of opening your user account, you are expressly and voluntarily accepting the terms and conditions of this Privacy Policy and the other website Agreements. The supplying of all such information by you to SoBiz, including all information deemed ?sensitive? by applicable law, is entirely voluntary on your part. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy, but please note that your withdrawal of consent will not be retroactive. 5.3. Aggregate Information and Non-Identifying Information. We may share aggregated information that includes non-identifying information and Log Data with third-parties for industry analysis, demographic profiling, and to deliver targeted advertising about other products and services. 5.4. Service Providers. We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our services, to provide the services on our behalf, to perform services related to administration of the Site (including, without limitation, maintenance, hosting and database management services, web analytics and administration). These third parties have access to your Personal Information only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose. 5.5. Business Transfers. We may sell, transfer or otherwise share some or all of its assets, including your Personal Information, in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of assets or in the event of bankruptcy. 6. THIRD-PARTY ACCESS. 6.1. We reserve the right to use the services of a site analytic partner to help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising and how visitors use our site. The tools of web beacons and cookies shall be used to help measure and optimize our business and communications for a more personalized experience. 7. E-COMMERCE 7.1. This website allows users to share information with marketers and electronic commerce providers through on-site offers. These exchanges are done voluntarily and at users own risk. 8. JOINT SERVICES 8.1. This website may offer stores or provide services jointly with other companies on the site. This website may share customer information with that company in connection with your use of that store or service. 9. INVITE- A -FRIEND 9.1. If you choose to invite your friends to use the Site, using our invitation options, we will ask for information such as an e-mail address. We will automatically send your friend(s) a one-time e-mail invitation to visit the Site. We store this information to send this one-time invitation, and to track the success of this referral feature. 10. CHANGING OR DELETING YOUR INFORMATION 10.1. All members may review, update, correct or delete the Personal Information in their registration profile by logging into their account and changing the "user preferences" associated with their account. If you completely delete all such information, your account may be deactivated. We may retain an archived copy of your records as required by law or for legitimate business purposes. 11. SECURITY 11.1. We are concerned with safeguarding your information. We employ a variety of industry-standard measures designed to protect your information from unauthorized access. 12. INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER 12.1. Your information may be transferred to - and maintained on - computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the privacy laws may not be as protective as those in your jurisdiction. If you are located outside the United States and choose to provide information to us, please be advised that we transfer Personal Information to the United States and process it there. Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer. 13. LINKS TO OTHER SITES 13.1. The Site contains links to other websites. If you choose to visit an advertiser by "clicking on" a banner ad or other type of advertisement, or click on another third-party link, you will be directed to that third-party's website. The fact that we link to a website or present a banner ad or other type of advertisement is not an endorsement, authorization or representation that we are affiliated with that third-party, nor is it an endorsement of their privacy or information security policies or practices. We do not exercise control over third-party websites. These other websites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you. Other websites and services follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personal information you submit to them. We encourage you to read the privacy policies or statements of the other websites you visit. 14. YOUR OBLIGATIONS 14.1. As a User, you have certain obligations toward the other Users with whom you will be communicating. Certain of these obligations are imposed by applicable law and regulations, and others have become commonplace in user-friendly communities of like-minded members, such as this website: 14.2. You must, at all times, respect the terms and conditions of the then- current Privacy Policy and the other website Agreements. This includes respecting all intellectual property rights which may belong to third parties (such as photographs). 15. You must not download or otherwise disseminate any information which may be deemed to be injurious, violent, offensive, racist or xenophobic or which may otherwise violate the purpose and spirit of SoBiz and its community of Users. 16. You must not provide information to SoBiz and /or other Users which you believe might be injurious or detrimental to your person, professional or social status. 17. Any violation of these guidelines may lead to the restriction, suspension or termination of your account by website administrators, as we take these principles seriously and consider them to be the basis on which our Users adhere to the website and the services which it offers. 18. VIOLATIONS AND COMMENTS 18.1. Please report any violations of this Privacy Policy or make any comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 18.2. You may also contact us by mail to: SoBiz Network, Inc
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Thursday, 29 July 2010
