From the 26th May 2012, the EU Cookie Directive comes into force in the UK. In order to comply with this directive we have to inform you about the cookies we are setting and the reasons why we would like to set them. Scroll down for a simple table with explanations next to each cookie type.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files set on your browser which records data to allow us to measure the performance of our website whilst also improving your experience as you navigate through it.

What is the difference between 1st party cookies and 3rd party cookies?

First party cookies are cookies set by the site itself. For example, if a visitor visits www.shentongroup.co.uk and this website sets a cookie, this cookie is called a first-party cookie. We use 1st party cookies mainly for Google Analytics usage and WordPress settings.

Third party cookies are set from a different domain than the site that the visitor is currently visiting. If a visitor visits www.cnplus.co.uk and that website contains an advertisement coming from another domain such as www.manufacturer.co.uk, and that domain sets a cookie, this cookie is called a third-party cookie. Third party cookies can be blocked via your browser settings. Our website also includes social networking share buttons for Facebook, Twitter & linkedIn which sets 3rd party cookies.

What type of cookies does the shentongroup website set?

Cookies set by Google Analytics, WordPress and social networking share buttons or widgets.

Most of the cookies our website sets are 1st party cookies. These cookies are set by technologies or applications such as Google Analytics. Google Analytics allows us to view statistics on how our website is being used by people who visit it and which pages are not working so they can be improved. We cannot see or record any personal information through the use of Google Analytics. Our website is powered by CMS called WordPress which also sets 1st party cookies. These cookies purely remember things like your name, email address so that when you come back to our site, you don’t need to re-enter all your information again.

Here’s a simple table of each of the cookies our website sets and what it is used for:

Cookie name	1st or 3rd Party?	Expires	Technology	Information
__utma	1st	730 days		Google Analytics – We use Google Analytics in order to assess the performance of our website in order to give you the best experience when browsing our website and reading our content.
__utmb	1st	Less than 1 day
__utmc	1st	Date not set
__utmz	1st	182 days
websitez_mobile_detector	1st	Less than 1 day		Mobile Website Detector Plugin – If you visit our website via a mobile device then we would like to present our website to you in a mobile friendly format. This cookie checks to see if you are visiting our website from a mobile device.
wp-settings	1st	336 days		WordPress Setting Cookie – This is a cookie is to verify if you are logged into the website or not.
wp-settings-time	1st	336 days
comment_author_	1st	347 days		WordPress Comment Cookie – When visitors comment on our site these cookies are purely for their a convenience so that they won’t need to re-type all their information again when they want to leave another comment. These are set to expire a little under one year from the time they’re set.
comment_author_email_	1st	347 days
subscribe_checkbox_	1st	347 days		WordPress Subscribe Plugin – Some of our blog readers like to subscribe to comments on an individual blog post and then be alerted by email when a new person has td-left a comment. By ticking the box our website you have opt-in to receiving these notification type emails. We do not have access to any email addresses of those who decide to subscribe.
__atuvc	3rd	730 days		AddThis – This is the tool we use to allow you to share our content on social networking sites. More info on AddThis privacy.
Multiple	3rd	Dependent on network		Social Sharing – Our website does include social share buttons meaning 3rd party sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or LinkedIn may set 3rd party cookies. You can view more info on privacy for each site by clicking on the relevant link: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Some of these cookies last a length of time on your computer. You can delete these cookies via your browser but it may impact how the website is presented to you or what type of information you see should you return to the shentongroup website.

If you have any questions regarding the cookies we use and the way in which we use them the please feel free to contact us.