Great, outside the box thinking!
Let’s reshape reality and find common ground.
2019 Webby Awards
The 2019 Webby Awards have been announced. Every year these awards always show such a broad collection of the technical development and creativity happening in the digital universe. Take a look at some of the highlights.
https://www.barovier.com/en/ – Best Home Page
https://www.rapha.cc/us/en_US/ – Best Navigation Structure
https://moves.basicagency.com/ – Best User Experience
https://thelifestory.org/ – Now THIS is amazing user experience.
Mailchimp Statement on Shopify Partnership
A good example of putting the customer’s privacy first. Thank you Mailchimp.
Source: Mailchimp press release: https://mailchimp.com/shopify-statement/
March 22, 2019
“Yesterday, we asked Shopify to remove the Mailchimp for Shopify integration from their marketplace. We made this decision because Shopify released updated terms that would negatively impact our business and put our users at risk.
We also asked Shopify to leave the integration on for existing connected users through May 12, when the data sharing provisions of Shopify’s new terms take effect. We’re hopeful that Shopify will work with us to make this transition as smooth as possible for our shared users.
For months, we’ve been trying to work with Shopify on terms that would be fair and equitable for both of our businesses. Throughout these negotiations, we refused to agree to terms that jeopardize our users’ privacy and require us to hand over customer data acquired outside of Shopify.
Our shared users have complete control over their own data. By continuing to connect with Shopify through third-party integrations, we’re providing our shared users with the choice to share that data going forward. What we’re not willing to do is automatically and retroactively share all of this data with Shopify, including data acquired outside of and not connected to the Shopify platform, without the user involved. From our perspective, that data belongs to our users and isn’t ours to share directly with Shopify.
The new terms also make it clear that Shopify wants to control which providers their partners work with and how they conduct their business. We believe small businesses are best served when they can choose which technology they use to run their businesses, which is why Mailchimp integrates with more than 150 different apps and platforms. We won’t compromise on that just because Shopify sees it as a competitive threat.
Even though our native integration will no longer be available, our customers can choose from several third-party integrations to connect their accounts. We have a comprehensive set of resources available, including manual workarounds and a directory of experts for users with more complex needs.
We’re disappointed that we weren’t able to continue our partnership with Shopify, but our customers are our top priority.”
Client Testimonial
Have I told you how much I appreciate working with you?! I love that you are thorough, you create a good plan, you manage it, and I don’t have to worry that it’s going to have holes in it! I’ve worked with some really bad project managers in the past! Thank you for NOT being one of those!!!
~W. Barker, SREB, Atlanta, GA
Understanding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
In an effort to address any concerns you may have about the GDPR legislation, and how it effects you as a website owner, here are the Cliff notes:
- If your website collects any data, such as through a contact form, survey, newsletter sign-up, ecommerce transaction, event registration and some website analytics, the new regulation may apply to you.
- The legislation is intended to protect citizens of the European Union, but if you interact with any European site visitors, this regulation applies to you.
- Your website visitors who are EU citizens must provide you with consent to collect their information and they have the right to access their information, if desired.
- If a user who is an EU citizen, wants to remove their information, you must thoroughly comply.
Based on the above, here are the updates you may need to make to your website:
- Make sure your site includes a Privacy Policy and be completely transparent.
- State what data you collect and why.
- State what you do with the data.
- State where the data is stored.
- State your process for deleting content, when requested.
- For subscriptions, use double opt-in steps.
- For email blasts, include a footer that defines why they are included in the mailing.
- For ecommerce transactions, allow customers to opt-in to a mailing list rather than auto-enroll their email as part of the transaction.
- Ensure your website plug-ins are GDPR-compliant.
Once you complete your website updates, and if you make substantial changes to your privacy policy, you may choose to email your mailing list. If you have EU citizens on your mailing list, you may need to email them to get a consent to continue emailing them. You do not need to email non-EU citizens, and if you can segment your list by country, you can ONLY email the EU.
If you would like assistance with ensuring your website is GDPR-compliant, contact us. We will review your website and provide you with an estimate.
Please note that Project 18, Inc. is not providing legal advice on this subject and be aware that there are penalties for non-compliance.