Privacy and Data Use Policy

Last updated: July 2, 2026. This Privacy & Data Use Policy explains what information is collected when you visit jamiedolan.com (the “Site”), how that information is used and protected, the choices you have, and the disclosures required by the various services and laws that apply to a website like this one. Please read it carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described here.

jamiedolan.com is a personal, non-commercial lifestyle blog operated by Jamie Dolan and based in Neenah, Wisconsin, United States. If you have any questions about this policy or your personal information, you can reach me by email at jamiedolan@gmail.com.

Plain-English Summary

I’ve tried to write this policy thoroughly so that it covers everything a modern website is expected to disclose. The short version is simple:

• This is a personal blog. I am not in the business of selling, renting, or trading your personal information — and I never will.
• Like nearly every website, the Site uses cookies and analytics (Google Analytics) to understand general traffic and to keep the Site working.
• If you leave a comment, subscribe to email updates, send me a message, or submit a photo, you are choosing to give me that information, and I describe below how it is handled.
• The Site may contain affiliate links (including Amazon) and may display or link to third-party content. Those relationships are disclosed below.
• You can contact me at any time to access, correct, or delete information I hold about you.

Who We Are

The Site’s address is https://jamiedolan.com. It is owned and operated by Jamie Dolan, an individual located in Neenah, Wisconsin, USA. This is a personal blog covering pets, gardening, technology, photography, and local Wisconsin life. For privacy questions, data requests, or any concern about your information, contact: jamiedolan@gmail.com.

Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to information collected through this Site. It does not apply to any third-party website, service, platform, or application that may be linked to or embedded on the Site, even where I have a presence on that platform (for example, social-media profiles, video-hosting services, or a shop). Those third parties operate under their own privacy policies, and I encourage you to read them.

Information We Collect

Information you choose to provide

• Comments: the name, email address, and website you enter in the comment form, plus the comment text.
• Contact messages and email: your name, email address, and anything you choose to include in the message.
• Email/newsletter subscriptions: the email address (and any name) you provide when you subscribe to updates.
• Photo and content submissions: images, captions, stories, and any details you send for possible publication (for example, “Dog of the Day” or “Send Me Photos” submissions).
• Interactive tools (for example, the Thyroid Journal): anything you choose to enter into a tool, such as journal text, energy and symptom ratings, sleep, laboratory values, medications, photos, and notes. By default this stays on your own device; see Interactive Tools and Health Information below.

Information collected automatically

Like virtually all websites, this Site and its hosting provider automatically record certain technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type and user-agent string, device and operating-system information, referring/exit pages, the pages you view, and the date and time of your visit. This information is collected through server logs, cookies, and analytics tools, and is used for security, troubleshooting, spam prevention, and understanding general site traffic. Some of this information may, alone or in combination, be considered personal information under applicable law.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the Site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent string to help spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the Site (for example, with a submission), you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the Site can download and extract any location data from images on the Site.

Contact Forms and Email

If you contact me through a form or by email, your message and contact details are used solely to respond to you and to keep a record of our correspondence. Private messages sent to me are treated as private and respectfully — I do not publish the contents of a personal email or private inquiry, and I do not sell or share your contact details. I keep correspondence only as long as needed to handle your request and for reasonable record-keeping.

Photo and Content Submissions (Permission to Publish)

Some features of this Site invite you to submit material specifically so that it can be published — for example, reader photo features such as “Dog of the Day,” the “Send Me Photos” page, or any submission clearly intended for posting on the Site.

By submitting photos, images, video, captions, stories, or other material that is offered for publication, you confirm that you own or have permission to share that material, and you grant Jamie Dolan a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to publish, display, reproduce, resize, caption, and archive that material on this Site and its associated channels, with credit where practical, unless you and I have explicitly agreed otherwise in writing. If you do not want your submission published, or want it removed later, simply tell me and I will honor that request. Material you send privately (not for publication) is treated as private, as described in the section above.

Email Updates and Newsletters

If you opt in to receive email updates, your email address is stored and used only to send you posts or occasional updates from the Site. Email may be delivered through a reputable third-party email service provider that processes the address on my behalf. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time; I will not continue emailing you after you unsubscribe. I comply with the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act, including honoring opt-out requests promptly and identifying messages accurately.

Interactive Tools and Health Information (Thyroid Journal and Others)

I offer some free interactive tools on this Site (for example, the Thyroid Journal, under /tools/). The Thyroid Journal is meant for people tracking thyroid and autoimmune conditions, so it can involve health-related information about you. This section explains, in plain terms, how those tools handle what you enter. It adds to — and does not replace — the rest of this policy.

On your device by default

These tools run inside your web browser. By default, everything you enter — journal entries, energy and symptom ratings, sleep, laboratory values, medications, photos, body measurements, and notes — is stored only on your own device (in your browser’s local storage) and is never sent to me or to anyone else. If you clear your browser’s data, or use the tool’s “delete everything” option, that information is gone.

If you choose to create a sync account

Some tools, including the Thyroid Journal, let you optionally create an account so your data can move between your own devices. This is entirely your choice. If you create one:

• Your free-text journal entries, laboratory values, medication details, personal notes, photos, and body measurements are end-to-end encrypted on your device before they are transmitted, using a key derived from a passphrase that only you know. I cannot read them, and I cannot recover your passphrase or recovery key. If you lose both, that encrypted information cannot be recovered by anyone.
• So that syncing, charts, and reminders can work across your devices, a smaller set of derived information is stored in readable form on the server: your email address, the energy state you select, your symptom-severity ratings, derived writing measures (such as a “fluency” signal and word counts), and the dates and times of your entries. This information can be health-related; it is stored only to make the tool work, and it is never sold, never shared, and never used for advertising.
• You can delete your account and its synced data at any time from within the tool.

Reminders

If you opt in to daily reminders, I store only what is needed to send them — a browser push subscription or, for email reminders, your email address — together with the time and days you choose. Email reminders use double opt-in (you confirm by clicking a link before any are sent), they never contain anything you have written, and you can turn them off or unsubscribe at any time with one click.

Analytics in these tools

These tools use the same consent-based Google Analytics described above, and only after you accept the cookie banner. Analytics measures general, anonymous usage — for example, that a page was opened or that an entry was saved — and never receives the words you write or any of your health values.

Sensitive information, consent, and medical disclaimer

Health information is personal, and in some regions (such as the EEA and the UK) it is treated as a special category of data. Where you choose to sync such information, I process it on the basis of your explicit consent, which you give when you create a sync account and enter the data; you may withdraw that consent at any time by deleting your data or your account. These tools are provided for personal documentation only. They are not medical devices, are not a substitute for professional medical care, and do not provide medical advice or a diagnosis. Each tool also displays its own full disclaimer and terms of use, which apply whenever you use it. As with the rest of the Site, these tools are not directed to children (see the Children’s Privacy section below).

Games (the Arcade and Dial Town)

The free games on this Site (under /games/, and Dial Town at /Dial-Town/) work the same local-first way. Game progress and saves are stored in your browser’s local storage, on your own device — there are no game accounts required, and your play is not sent to me. Dial Town in particular keeps its entire save on your device and offers an export (a “backup tape” file) that only you hold; clearing your browser data or using the game’s “start a new game” option removes its save. A few games offer an optional leaderboard or an optional named profile; anything sent there is only the name and score you choose to submit. Standard analytics (described in the Analytics section below) applies to game pages just like any other page on the Site.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device that help websites function and remember preferences. This Site uses cookies and similar technologies for essential operation, for remembering your choices, and for analytics. You can set your browser to refuse some or all cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being set; however, some parts of the Site may not work properly without them.

If you leave a comment on our Site you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When an administrator logs in, several cookies are set to save login information and screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen-options cookies last for a year. If “Remember Me” is selected, the login persists for two weeks. Logging out removes the login cookies. Editing or publishing an article saves an additional cookie that contains no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article just edited; it expires after one day.

Analytics and advertising services described below may also set their own cookies or use similar identifiers. See those sections for details and opt-out options.

Embedded Content From Other Websites

Articles on this Site may include embedded content (for example, videos, images, articles, maps, and social-media posts). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor had visited the other website.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website. For example, embedded YouTube videos are served by Google/YouTube and are subject to Google’s privacy policy.

Analytics (Google Analytics)

This Site uses Google Analytics 4, a web-analytics service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors use the Site (for example, which pages are popular and general audience trends). Google Analytics uses cookies and similar identifiers to collect information such as your IP address, device and browser information, and pages visited. This information is processed by Google; Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics is governed by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). IP addresses are handled in accordance with Google’s data practices for GA4.

Google Analytics Advertising Features. This Site may use Google Analytics Advertising Features, which can include Remarketing with Google Analytics, Google Display Network Impression Reporting, Google Analytics Demographics and Interest Reporting, Google Signals, and integrated services that require Google Analytics to collect data for advertising purposes via advertising cookies and identifiers. Where these features are enabled:

• I, together with third-party vendors such as Google, use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) or other first-party identifiers, and third-party cookies (such as Google advertising cookies) or other third-party identifiers together to inform, optimize, and understand site usage and any advertising.
• Visitors can opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features using Google Ads Settings (https://www.google.com/settings/ads), and can opt out of Google Analytics generally by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on (https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/).
• Visitors can also opt out of third-party-vendor advertising cookies through the Network Advertising Initiative consumer opt-out (https://optout.networkadvertising.org/) or the Digital Advertising Alliance (https://optout.aboutads.info/).

The site’s own visit counter

Besides Google Analytics, this site uses its own simple visit counter to see how many people visit and which pages, games and tools they use. I built it and run it myself, and it’s designed to collect as little as possible:

• It sets no cookies.
• Your IP address is never stored. To count a visitor once per day, the counter combines your IP address and browser type with a random value that changes every day and is deleted after two days. It keeps only the scrambled result, which can’t be turned back into your IP address or linked to your visits on other days.
• It records the page you visited, the site that linked you here, your general device type, browser and operating system, your approximate country (worked out from your device’s time zone), and how long the page was open and visible.
• The data is kept on a server I control, is used only to understand traffic to this site, and is never sold or shared for advertising.

Because it sets no cookies and can’t identify you, the counter runs for all visitors, including those who decline Google Analytics. If you’d still rather not be counted, use the “Don’t count my visits” button at the end of this page. It saves one setting in your browser and nothing else.

Advertising

This Site does not currently display paid third-party advertising. If advertising is added in the future, the following will apply, and this policy will continue to disclose it:

• Third-party vendors, including Google, may use cookies to serve ads based on a user’s prior visits to this Site or other websites.
• Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to visitors based on their visit to this Site and/or other sites on the Internet.
• Visitors may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings (https://www.google.com/settings/ads). They may also opt out of a third-party vendor’s use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting https://optout.aboutads.info/ or the NAI opt-out page at https://optout.networkadvertising.org/.

Affiliate Links and Amazon Associates Disclosure

This Site may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the Site. I only link to products and services I genuinely find useful or interesting, and an affiliate relationship does not change the price you pay. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255 (“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”).

jamiedolan.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Certain content that appears on this Site may come from Amazon. Such content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

Third-Party Links, Social Media, and Trademarks

This Site may link to, or be linked to from, third-party websites and social-media platforms, and may include sharing buttons or embedded posts. Following those links takes you to sites I do not control. I am not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any third-party site, and the presence of a link is not an endorsement. Once you leave this Site, this policy no longer applies.

Non-affiliation. This Site and its content are independent and personal. Unless explicitly stated, this Site is not affiliated with, associated with, authorized by, endorsed by, sponsored by, or in any way officially connected with Meta Platforms, Inc. (including Facebook and Instagram), Google LLC, Amazon.com, Inc., YouTube, or any other company referenced on the Site. All product names, logos, brands, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification and reference purposes only; their use does not imply endorsement.

If the Site uses social-media plugins, pixels, or share buttons (for example, links to or from Facebook or Instagram), those platforms may set their own cookies and collect information in accordance with their own privacy policies. I do not receive your platform account credentials, and any interaction you have on those platforms is governed by the platform, not by me.

How We Use Information

Information collected through the Site is used to: operate, maintain, and secure the Site; publish and moderate comments and submissions; respond to messages; send email updates you have requested; understand general traffic and improve content; detect, prevent, and address spam, abuse, fraud, and security issues; and comply with legal obligations. I do not use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you.

Legal Bases for Processing (EEA/UK Visitors)

If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, I process personal information under one or more of the following legal bases: your consent (for example, opting in to comment cookies, email updates, or non-essential cookies), including your explicit consent for any special-category health information you choose to sync through an interactive tool such as the Thyroid Journal; my legitimate interests in operating, securing, and improving a personal blog (balanced against your rights); and compliance with legal obligations. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out.

Who We Share Your Data With

I do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. Information may be shared only with the service providers that help operate the Site, and only as needed for them to perform their function, including:

• Web hosting (server infrastructure, security, and logs).
• Google Analytics (traffic analytics), as described above.
• The site’s own visit counter (cookie-free traffic counting), as described above.
• An automated spam-detection service, which may check visitor comments.
• An email service provider, if you subscribe to email updates.

If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email. I may also disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or valid legal process, or where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Site, its visitors, or others.

How Long We Retain Your Data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users that register on the Site (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information. Email-subscription data is kept until you unsubscribe; correspondence is kept only as long as reasonably needed.

For the interactive tools (such as the Thyroid Journal), anything you enter is kept on your own device until you delete it or clear your browser. If you create an optional sync account, your synced data is retained until you delete it or your account from within the tool; the end-to-end-encrypted portions (your journal text, lab values, medications, notes, and photos) cannot be read by me at any point. See Interactive Tools and Health Information for details.

How We Protect Your Data

The Site is served over HTTPS, and I take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure, and I cannot guarantee absolute security. You provide information at your own risk.

What Rights You Have Over Your Data

If you have an account on this Site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes. For the interactive tools, you can also export or permanently delete your data, and delete any sync account, from within the tool itself at any time.

Depending on where you live, you may also have the right to access, correct, update, or delete your personal information; to object to or restrict certain processing; to data portability; and to withdraw consent. To exercise any of these rights, email jamiedolan@gmail.com and I will respond within the time required by applicable law. I will not discriminate against you for exercising any of these rights.

Your California Privacy Rights

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), gives you the right to know what personal information is collected, used, and disclosed; the right to request deletion; the right to correct inaccurate information; and the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. I do not sell or share your personal information for monetary value, and I do not knowingly “sell” or “share” personal information as those terms are defined under California law. You may exercise your rights, without discrimination, by contacting jamiedolan@gmail.com. This Site honors recognized opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC) where applicable.

International Visitors and Data Transfers

This Site is operated in the United States. If you access the Site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States and other countries where this Site’s service providers operate, where data-protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using the Site, you consent to such transfer and processing.

Children’s Privacy

This Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the equivalent minimum age in the relevant jurisdiction). I do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information through the Site, please contact jamiedolan@gmail.com and I will delete it. This practice is consistent with the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Do Not Track and Browser Signals

Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting. Because there is no common industry standard for how to interpret DNT signals, this Site does not currently respond to DNT signals in a uniform way. Where required by law, the Site honors recognized opt-out preference signals such as the Global Privacy Control (GPC). Regardless of any signal, I do not sell your personal information.

Changes to This Policy

I may update this Privacy & Data Use Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, services, or the law. When I do, I will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Significant changes may be noted on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns about this policy or your personal information? Please email jamiedolan@gmail.com. I’m a real person running a personal blog, and I’ll do my best to help.

Related Policies

• Privacy & Data Use Policy
• Terms of Use & Disclaimer
• DMCA & Copyright Policy
• Comment Policy
• Spam Policy