Last updated: August 2026
South Jersey Finest is a local business directory and storytelling site covering South Jersey. This page explains what information we collect, why, and what we do with it. It is written in plain English on purpose.
The short version
We collect very little. We do not sell your data to anyone, ever. We do not run advertising networks that track you around the internet. The only personal information we ask for is what you volunteer when you nominate a business, sign up for our newsletter, or email us.
What we collect
When you nominate a business
The nomination form asks for the business name, its category and town, how you know the place, and why you are recommending it. Your name and email address are optional. We use this to follow up, ask questions, and decide what to write about. Nominating does not add you to any mailing list.
When you subscribe to The Monthly Find
Our newsletter is hosted by Beehiiv. Signing up sends your email address to them, and they store it and record standard email metrics such as opens and clicks. You can unsubscribe from any email we send, which removes you permanently. Beehiiv has its own privacy policy governing that data.
When you contact us
If you email us, we keep the email. Messages sent through the site are delivered using our web host’s mail servers.
Automatically, when you visit
Our web host keeps standard server logs, including IP addresses and which pages were requested, for security and troubleshooting.
We may use Google Analytics to understand which pages people read and roughly where visitors come from. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects usage data under its own terms. We look at this in aggregate and have no interest in identifying individual readers.
Spam prevention on our forms
To stop automated spam, our nomination form records a scrambled, one-way version of your IP address along with a count of recent submissions. It is not reversible and we cannot read your IP address from it. These counts delete themselves automatically within 24 hours. The form also measures how long the page was open before submission, because bots submit instantly and people do not.
The “Read this to me” button
Some pages have a button that reads the article aloud. This uses speech software already built into your own browser and device. It does not use your microphone, it does not listen to you, and no audio or text is sent to us or to any other company. Everything happens on your device. Nothing is recorded.
What we do not do
- We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
- We do not run third-party advertising networks or retargeting pixels.
- We do not require an account to browse anything on this site.
- We do not publish your name or email from a nomination without asking you first.
Who can see your information
Nominations and messages are visible to the owner of South Jersey Finest and to any writer or editor we have given an account to. Anyone with access is expected to treat your information the way this page describes. We remove access when someone stops working with us.
How long we keep things
Nominations are kept while they are useful to our editorial work and deleted on request. Newsletter subscriptions last until you unsubscribe. Spam-prevention counts clear within 24 hours. Server logs are kept by our host on their own schedule.
Businesses listed on this site
Listings contain business information: name, address, phone, hours, website, and social links. This is publicly available business information, not personal data. If you own a business listed here and want something corrected or removed, email us and we will handle it. You do not need to give a reason.
Photographs
When we photograph a business, those photos belong to that business as well as to us, and they are free to use them anywhere. If you appear in a photograph on this site and would rather not, tell us and we will remove it.
Printed mailers
We sometimes print postcards featuring local businesses and mail them through the United States Postal Service. These go to every address on a delivery route. We do not choose recipients, we are not given a list of names, and we do not collect anything about who receives one.
Cookies
This site uses cookies for basic functionality, and analytics cookies if analytics is active. You can block cookies in your browser settings and the site will still work.
Your choices
You can ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Email us and we will do it. No forms, no process. If you are in a state with a privacy law granting you additional rights, we will honour those requests too.
Security
The site runs over an encrypted connection and access to the admin area is limited to people who need it. No website can promise perfect security, but we do not store payment details or sensitive personal information here.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them.
Changes
If this policy changes in a way that matters, we will update the date at the top and note the change.
Contact
Questions about any of this: contact@southjerseyfinest.com