This Cookie Policy explains how the Boringly Effective website (boringlyeffective.com) uses cookies and similar technologies. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to remember your actions and preferences over time. This policy also covers similar technologies such as local storage.
2. Our approach: privacy by default
Boringly Effective is designed to respect your privacy. By default we do not run advertising or tracking cookies, and we do not build profiles of your behaviour across the web, nor do we sell your data.
Our analytics providers, PostHog and Google Analytics 4 (GA4), are disabled by default. We present a clear consent banner on your first visit. If you click “Accept analytics”, we store small first-party cookies (__posthog from PostHog; _ga and _ga_19Y1FMVJ0N from GA4) to distinguish returning visitors. If you click “Reject”, we set no analytics cookies, but we still record your page visit anonymously using cookieless analytics (no identifier stored on your device). If you dismiss the banner without choosing, analytics are not initialised.
Anonymous aggregate analytics (Umami). In addition to PostHog, we run a self-hosted, cookieless analytics tool (Umami) that counts page views, referrers and countries in aggregate. It sets no cookies, stores no personal data, and no per-visitor identifier is kept on your device, so it is not subject to consent and always runs. PostHog (below) remains opt-in.
3. Cookies we use
The table below lists the cookies and technologies that may be set when you use our site:
| Name / type | Purpose | Category | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
Ghost members cookies (e.g. ghost-members-ssr, session cookies) | Keeps you logged in to your subscriber account and remembers your subscription status so we can show you member-only content and the newsletter. | Strictly necessary | Session / up to a few months |
be_consent | Records your cookie choice so we do not re-ask you on every visit, and so analytics only run when you have accepted. | Strictly necessary (consent management) | 12 months |
__posthog | Distinguishes returning visitors for aggregated, pseudonymous analytics. Set only after you click "Accept analytics". If you click "Reject", this cookie is not set and PostHog runs in cookieless mode (no cookie, anonymous page-view count only). | Analytics (consent-based) | Session / up to 12 months (only when accepted) |
Google Analytics 4 cookies (_ga, _ga_19Y1FMVJ0N) | Distinguishes returning visitors for aggregate traffic statistics. Set only after you click "Accept analytics". If you click "Reject", these cookies are not set (and any previously set ones are deleted). | Analytics (consent-based) | Up to 2 years (only when accepted) |
Cloudflare (e.g. __cf_bm) | Security, bot and abuse protection, and to keep the site fast and available. | Strictly necessary | ~30 minutes |
Google Analytics 4 note: GA4 is provided by Google Ireland Limited. When you accept analytics, limited usage data (including a truncated IP address, used only to derive approximate location) is transferred to Google and may be processed in the United States, under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework and the EU Standard Contractual Clauses. Google retains GA4 event-level data for a maximum of 2 months (property setting); the _ga cookies persist for up to 2 years, or until you withdraw consent, in which case they are deleted.
Because strictly necessary cookies are required for the website to function and our analytics cookies are consent-based, we respect your choice and only set tracking-type cookies after you opt in via the consent banner.
You can reopen the banner and change your choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the site footer (or by clearing your be_consent cookie).
4. Third-party content
Some pages on our website embed video players directly from YouTube. When you load a page containing an embedded YouTube player, or interact with the player, YouTube may set its own cookies. Because YouTube is a separate company with its own privacy practices, those cookies are subject to YouTube's own privacy and cookie policies, and we do not control them.
Our podcast episodes also link to third-party platforms (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others). When you follow these links, you leave our website and the third-party platform may set its own cookies subject to its own cookie policy. We do not control these cookies. Please review the cookie policies of those services if you have concerns.
5. How to manage and delete cookies
You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can change your consent choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in our footer. Most browsers allow you to:
- View the cookies that have been set.
- Block all or third-party cookies.
- Clear all cookies when you close the browser.
Blocking strictly necessary cookies may affect website functionality — for example, you may not stay logged in to your subscription.
6. Changes to this policy
If we change our use of cookies in the future, we will update this Cookie Policy and, where the law requires it, seek your consent before setting any non-essential cookies.
7. Contact
Questions about our use of cookies? Contact us at [email protected].