What is a cookie?
A cookie is a text file of information placed on your hard drive by a website. Generally, websites use the information to improve your experience on their site. For example, a cookie allows a site to keep track of which message board posts you have read. Websites also use cookies to keep track of where you go and what you do in the site. This information can be valuable to them if they're targeting content or advertising to you. Some websites (not iVillage.co.uk) sell your name and some of the information they gather about you using cookies or databases. You should read privacy policies carefully. (Click here to read our privacy policy.)

Who has access to the information?
Only the website that placed the information there originally can read the information in a cookie. A site can keep track only of where you go within that particular site. A site's server (servers are the computers that websites use to 'serve' you pages) cannot read information placed on your computer by another website. Cookies don't 'read' your hard drive; they can't read other documents or files you have stored on your hard drive.

How does iVillage use cookies?
We use two main cookies on the iVillage site. The first cookie works with our membership system. When you register as a member, we place a cookie on your computer. This cookie talks to our system so you don't have to sign in every time you go to a message board or try to access any of the areas of our site that are reserved for our members. If you refuse this cookie, you can still get into the members-only areas, but you'll have to sign in over and over again during a single visit to the network. The second cookie is used by our programming directors and channel producers. This cookie keeps track of where you go on the site and how long you spend there. This allows us to better understand which areas of our site are the most popular and which we should try to improve. For example, if we see that many people are going to a certain area but leaving almost immediately, we know we need improve that area! Our server tries to set this second cookie when you enter the iVillage network. If you refuse it, the server automatically tries to reset the cookie as you travel through the site. Although you don't have to accept the cookie, your time in iVillage will probably be a bit irritating since you'll continually have to refuse the cookie. We hope you feel comfortable with the cookies we use, and understand that we're really trying to improve your experience, to discover your likes and dislikes and gather information that allows us to be successful.

Can cookies cause any problems?
Cookies, on the whole, are not dangerous to your PC. Occasionally you may find that they use up too much disk space (although this is rare as they are such small files). The easy remedy for this is to open Internet Explorer, go into Tools, Internet Options and select Delete Cookies. The only other problem that you may experience is if you have more than one log in on your PC for iVillage. If this is the case, simply log out via the link on the homepage after your next visit. When you log back in again, make sure the Save Password box is not checked. This way you will always be prompted for your username and password each time you choose to look at mail or post on the boards.