PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: August 1, 2026
Your privacy matters to us.
This Privacy Policy explains how GET REAL ABOUT COLLECTIVE LLC, doing business as GET REAL ABOUT™ (“GET REAL ABOUT™,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), collects, uses, stores, and shares information when you visit GETREALABOUT.com, submit a story, sign up for communications, purchase a product or service, participate in a course or program, contact us, or otherwise interact with GET REAL ABOUT™.
By using our website or providing information to us, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
1. INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT
Depending on how you interact with GET REAL ABOUT™, we may collect information you voluntarily provide, including:
• Name
• Email address
• Telephone number
• City, state, province, or country
• Mailing or billing information
• Account or registration information
• Story submissions, essays, comments, messages, and other written content
• Photographs, audio, video, or other materials you choose to submit
• Information you provide when completing forms, surveys, questionnaires, courses, or programs
• Communications you send to us
• Newsletter and marketing preferences
• Purchase and transaction information
• Any other information you voluntarily choose to provide
Because GET REAL ABOUT™ addresses real-life experiences, information you voluntarily share with us may sometimes concern sensitive or deeply personal subjects, including grief, health, caregiving, relationships, divorce, family experiences, mental health, loss, finances, or other life circumstances.
Please only provide information you are comfortable sharing with us.
2. STORY SUBMISSIONS
When you submit a story or other content to GET REAL ABOUT™, we may collect the information contained in your submission along with your contact information and any additional information you provide.
We may use this information to:
• Review and evaluate your submission
• Contact you about your story
• Request additional information or clarification
• Discuss possible publication or participation opportunities
• Verify information when appropriate
• Manage our editorial and submission process
• Consider your story for GET REAL ABOUT™ projects
Submitting a story does not automatically give GET REAL ABOUT™ the right to substantially publish your complete story in a commercial publication.
Story submissions are also subject to our Story Submission Terms. If we wish to use your story in a way requiring additional rights or permissions, we may contact you regarding a separate contributor, release, or publication agreement.
3. INFORMATION COLLECTED AUTOMATICALLY
When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically through cookies, analytics tools, pixels, log files, and similar technologies.
This information may include:
• IP address
• Browser type
• Device type
• Operating system
• Pages viewed
• Referring websites
• Approximate geographic location
• Date and time of visits
• Links or features you interact with
• General website usage information
We may use this information to understand how visitors use our website, improve functionality and content, measure website performance, prevent fraud or misuse, and improve the GET REAL ABOUT™ experience.
4. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES
GET REAL ABOUT™ and our service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, understand website traffic, measure performance, and, where applicable, support marketing and advertising.
Some cookies may be necessary for the website to function. Others may be used for analytics, personalization, or advertising.
Where required by applicable law, we will provide appropriate choices regarding non-essential cookies.
You may also be able to control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect how some portions of the website function.
5. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We may use information we collect to:
• Operate and improve GETREALABOUT.com
• Provide products, services, courses, resources, and programs
• Process transactions
• Respond to questions and requests
• Review story submissions
• Communicate with contributors
• Send requested newsletters, updates, or other communications
• Provide customer service
• Personalize website content and user experiences
• Conduct surveys or research
• Understand how our website and resources are being used
• Protect our website, users, business, and intellectual property
• Prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity
• Maintain business and administrative records
• Comply with applicable legal obligations
• Exercise or defend legal rights
• Carry out other purposes disclosed when information is collected
6. EMAIL AND MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
If you choose to join our mailing list or otherwise consent to receive marketing communications, we may send you information about GET REAL ABOUT™ books, resources, articles, courses, events, stories, products, programs, and other news.
You may unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link contained in the email.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent us from sending transactional, administrative, or submission-related communications when necessary.
Submitting a story does not automatically subscribe you to our marketing email list unless you separately choose to subscribe.
7. HOW WE MAY SHARE INFORMATION
We do not sell your personal information simply because you submit a story or contact us.
We may share information with trusted companies and individuals that help us operate GET REAL ABOUT™, such as providers of:
• Website hosting
• Email communications
• Cloud storage
• Payment processing
• E-commerce services
• Website analytics
• Customer support
• Forms and submission management
• Marketing and advertising services
• Professional, legal, accounting, or technical services
These providers may access information only as appropriate to perform services for us and are subject to their own contractual and legal obligations.
We may also disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law, legal process, court order, governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of GET REAL ABOUT™, our users, or others.
If GET REAL ABOUT COLLECTIVE LLC is involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, financing, sale of assets, or similar business transaction, information may be transferred as part of that transaction as permitted by law.
8. PAYMENT INFORMATION
If you purchase a product, course, event, subscription, or other offering, payment information may be collected and processed by a third-party payment processor.
GET REAL ABOUT™ may receive transaction-related information but may not directly receive or store your complete credit or debit card information.
The payment processor's handling of your information is governed by its own privacy practices.
9. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, organizations, experts, retailers, social media platforms, resources, or services.
GET REAL ABOUT™ does not control the privacy practices of third parties. When you leave our website or interact with a third-party service, that organization's privacy policy and terms may apply.
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of websites and services you choose to use.
10. PUBLICATION OF STORIES AND OTHER CONTENT
Information you submit privately through our website is different from information you agree to have published.
If you agree to participate in a GET REAL ABOUT™ book, article, interview, podcast, video, social media feature, event, course, or other public project, information included in that project may become publicly available.
Before substantial publication of a submitted personal story, any additional rights, permissions, attribution, anonymity arrangements, or publication terms may be addressed in a separate agreement where appropriate.
Once information has been lawfully published or made public with your authorization, we may not be able to control copies, screenshots, quotations, reposts, archives, search engine results, or other uses made by third parties.
11. PROTECTING YOUR INFORMATION
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information under our control.
However, no website, email system, database, internet transmission, or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
For that reason, please use care when deciding what information to provide online, particularly when submitting highly personal information.
12. HOW LONG WE KEEP INFORMATION
We may retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including operating our business, managing submissions, maintaining appropriate records, resolving disputes, enforcing agreements, and complying with legal obligations.
Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the information and why it was collected.
If you withdraw a story submission, we will handle that request in accordance with our Story Submission Terms and applicable law.
13. YOUR PRIVACY CHOICES AND RIGHTS
Depending on where you live and applicable law, you may have rights concerning your personal information, which may include the right to:
• Request information about personal information we have collected about you
• Request access to certain personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of certain information
• Opt out of certain uses or disclosures of personal information
• Withdraw certain consent previously provided
• Opt out of marketing communications
These rights may be subject to exceptions and limitations under applicable law.
To make a privacy request, contact us at:
[PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]
We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
14. CALIFORNIA PRIVACY RIGHTS
California residents may have additional rights regarding their personal information under applicable California privacy laws.
Depending on whether particular laws apply to GET REAL ABOUT COLLECTIVE LLC and the nature of our data practices, these rights may include rights to know, access, correct, or delete certain personal information and rights relating to certain sharing or use of personal information.
We will not discriminate against you for exercising privacy rights available to you under applicable law.
California residents wishing to make a privacy request may contact:
[PRIVACY EMAIL ADDRESS]
15. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY
GETREALABOUT.com is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13.
We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13 without appropriate parental or legal guardian consent where required by law.
If you believe a child under 13 has provided personal information to us without appropriate consent, please contact us so we can review and address the situation.
Story submissions from individuals under 18 may require permission from a parent or legal guardian.
16. INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
GET REAL ABOUT™ is based in the United States.
If you access our website from outside the United States, your information may be transferred to, processed, or stored in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate.
Privacy and data-protection laws in those countries may differ from the laws where you live.
Where applicable law requires additional protections for international users, we will endeavor to comply with those requirements.
17. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time as GET REAL ABOUT™ grows, our website changes, or legal requirements evolve.
When we make changes, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
18. CONTACT US
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle personal information, please contact:
GET REAL ABOUT COLLECTIVE LLC
GET REAL ABOUT™
Email: getrealaboutbooks@gmail.com
Website: GETREALABOUT.com
California, United States