What is a cookie?
Cookies are not just relevant for food bloggers. Nowadays every modern website is using cookies. Cookies are essentially little data files in forms of text documents, to identify unique users. Think of them as your computer’s memory and save important information about you, like your password. They are also used to track a user’s behaviour so that the website can provide a more personalised experience, such as more targeted adverts.
The Different Types of Cookies
- Session Cookie: These are temporary and erase when you close the browser at the end of your session.
- Persistent Cookie: These remain on your computer until you delete them or they expire.
- First-Party Cookie: First Party Cookies are directly provided by the website you are visiting
- Third-Party Cookie:The Third-Party Cookie is not set by the website you are visiting. They are from external sources and are mostly integrated via JavaScript. Examples are Amazon, Google or affiliate programmes.
Cookie Laws in the UK
The cookie law started as a EU directive in 2011 and gave individuals the right to refuse the use of cookies to protect their online privacy. After that each country has to update their laws to comply. In the UK this led to an update of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
To ensure compliance you have to follow three steps. You have to work out what cookies your site sets and what they are used for. You have to tell your visitor how you use the cookies. And you have to obtain the consent of each visitor.
How to Install Cookie Notifications on Your Blog
For many content management systems, like WordPress, there are already existing plug-ins which are easy to install on your blog.
WordPress:
WiX:
Blogs running on Blogger.com already have cookie notifications integrated.
Alternatively you can also implement cookie notifications directly into the code of your blog. If you are using these methods, you can use frameworks to create notifications in a simple way. You have to insert the code above the closing head-tag.
Cookie Consent Kit by Silktide
Cookie Consent Kit by EU
Text for Cookie Notifications
There are no legal requirements regarding the appearance and style of a cookie notification.
A pretty standard text that you can use, and will find on most website, is:
“We are using cookies to provide statistics that help us give you the best experience of our site. You can find out more or switch them off if you prefer. However, by continuing to use the site without changing settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.”
These are the essential things you need to know about implementing cookies into your website. For more blogging tips, check out some more article at the blogfoster Academy.
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