Privacy & Cookies

I'm one person running this whole network. Here's the honest version of what I collect, why, and how to make me stop. No dark patterns, no 40-page lawyer fog. If your situation needs airtight legalese, talk to a lawyer. This is me telling you straight.

The short version

Who's asking (the required part)

The person responsible for your data here, the data controller in GDPR terms, is J.D. Forrest, operating as Niche of One, a one-person media operation based in the United States. Questions, requests, or complaints go to contact@nicheof.one. You're emailing me, not a department.

What I collect, and why

Analytics. I use Google Analytics to count visits and see which pages people actually read. Rough stuff like page views, approximate location (city level), and what kind of device you're on. It's aggregate; I'm watching whether a guide landed, not you. By default it runs in a cookieless, privacy-first mode (Google Consent Mode). No cookies, nothing that identifies you, just modeled totals. Tap Accept on the cookie banner and it switches on full analytics cookies for sharper numbers; tap Reject (or do nothing) and it stays cookieless.

Your email (only if you hand it over). If you subscribe to the newsletter, I store your email address so I can send it to you. It lands on my own list and on Substack, which runs the newsletter. I use it to send you writing, not to spam you, and you can leave with one click any time.

Server logs. Like every website, my host keeps basic access logs (IP address, browser, timestamp) for a short while. That's a security and "keep the lights on" thing, not a profile.

Your settings. Your theme, text size, motion, and which rooms you've visited are saved in your browser's local storage, on your device, not sent to me. It's so the site remembers how you like it. Clear your browser data and it's gone.

Cookies, specifically

The only cookies that do any tracking are the Google Analytics ones, and they don't get set unless you accept. Everything else (your preferences) is local storage, which stays on your device. You can change your mind any time, there's a Cookie settings link in the footer of every page that reopens the banner.

Who else touches your data

I'm one person, but I run on tools other companies own. When you use part of the site, that tool handles its slice of your data under its own privacy policy:

• Google Analytics, anonymous traffic stats (only after consent).
• Gumroad, runs the store and checkout. If you buy something, Gumroad processes your payment. I never see or store your card.
• Substack, runs the newsletter and handles paid subscriptions.
• Amazon Associates, some links to Amazon are affiliate links (more on that below).
• The radio streams GZS Radio; standard streaming connection logs.
• Hosting & email (GoDaddy, Google Workspace), keep the site online and route my mail.

Affiliate links (the honest disclosure)

Some links here, to Amazon, to other creators' Gumroad products, are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a small commission and it costs you nothing extra. I only point you at things I'd actually use or recommend. Buying through them is one of the ways this whole free network keeps running.

Why I use any of this

Straight answer: to make the work better and to keep food in my belly. Analytics tell me what's worth more of my time so I write things you actually want. The email list lets me reach you without renting that line from a platform. The affiliate links and products are how a one-person operation pays for itself. I'd rather tell you that plainly than pretend I run this for fun.

The legal basis (for the GDPR crowd)

If you're in the EU or UK, here's the lawful basis I lean on for each thing:

• Consent, for full analytics cookies and for sending you the newsletter. Freely given, and you can pull it back any time.
• Legitimate interest, for cookieless aggregate analytics and short-lived security logs, so I can keep the site working and worth running. Minimal data, no profiling.
• Contract, if you buy something, the data needed to actually deliver it (handled by Gumroad).

How long I keep it

• Your email: until you unsubscribe or ask me to delete it.
• Analytics: Google holds aggregate data on its standard schedule, you're not identifiable in it.
• Server logs: a short rolling window, then they roll off.
• Your settings: live in your browser until you clear it. I never hold them.

Where your data goes

I'm in the United States, and so are most of the tools I run on (Google, Gumroad, Substack, Amazon). If you're visiting from the EU or UK, that means your data may be processed in the US. Those providers carry their own safeguards for international transfers: standard contractual clauses and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. What I personally hold, I keep to a minimum.

California (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what I collect, to delete it, and to opt out of any "sale" or "sharing" of personal information. I don't sell or share your data, so there's nothing to opt out of, and every right listed below applies to you too. Same email handles it. I won't treat you differently for asking.

Your rights

Wherever you live, and especially if you're covered by the GDPR (EU/UK) or CCPA (California), you can ask me to:

• Show you what data I hold on you.
• Correct it or delete it.
• Get a copy to take elsewhere (portability).
• Stop emailing you (or just hit unsubscribe, every email has the link).
• Walk back your cookie consent (footer → Cookie settings → Reject).

Email contact@nicheof.one and I'll handle it. No forms, no runaround. It's just me. And if you're in the EU or UK and reckon I've botched it, you can complain to your local data protection authority, though I'd rather you tell me first so I can make it right.

Kids

This is a network for adults (some of it's weird, some of it's occult, some of it's foul-mouthed). It isn't aimed at anyone under 16, and I don't knowingly collect their data.

If this changes

If I change how any of this works, I'll update this page and the date at the top. Big changes, I'll say so in the newsletter.

This is a plain-language privacy notice for a one-person operation, written to be read, not to cover every legal base in every country. It isn't legal advice.