This Privacy Policy describes how The Idea Room (“we,” “us,” or “our”), operated at whereideasbegin.com, collects, uses, and protects your personal information when you visit or use our website and membership platform. By using this site, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
Last Updated: Sept 2026
What personal data we collect and why we collect it
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you visit our login page, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Membership Accounts & Registration
When you register for a membership on this site, we collect the following information:
- Name and email address
- Username and encrypted password
- Billing name and address (processed through Stripe)
- Membership level and registration date
- Profile information you choose to provide (photo, bio, business details, etc.)
This information is used to manage your account, provide access to membership features, process payments, and communicate with you about your membership. Your profile information may be visible to other members depending on your privacy settings.
Payment Processing (Stripe)
Membership payments on this site are processed securely through Stripe. We do not store your credit or debit card information on our servers. All payment data is transmitted directly to and stored by Stripe in accordance with PCI-DSS standards.
When you make a payment, Stripe may collect your name, billing address, card details, and transaction information. We retain a record of your transaction (amount, date, membership level) for billing and legal purposes. For more information on how Stripe handles your data, please review the Stripe Privacy Policy.
Private Messaging (Better Messages)
This site includes a private messaging feature powered by the Better Messages plugin. When you use this feature:
- Your messages, attachments, and conversation history are stored in our database
- Message content may be accessible to site administrators for safety and moderation purposes
- Messages are retained as long as your account is active, or until you or an administrator deletes them
Please do not share sensitive personal or financial information (such as passwords, full credit card numbers, or Social Security numbers) through the messaging system.
Business Directory Listings (Directorist)
Members may submit a business listing to our public directory. When you submit a listing, you may provide:
- Business name, description, and category
- Contact information (phone, email, website, address)
- Photos, logos, or other media
- Hours of operation, social media links, and other business details
Business directory listings are publicly visible to all visitors of this website. Please only submit information you are comfortable sharing publicly. Once your listing has been indexed by search engines (Google, Bing, etc.), we cannot guarantee the removal of cached or archived versions from those third-party platforms, even if the listing is later deleted from our site.
You may edit or request removal of your listing at any time by contacting us at info@whereideasbegin.com or managing your account settings. We reserve the right to remove listings that violate our terms of service.
Barter & Trade Listings
This platform includes a barter and trade classifieds feature where members can post goods and services for exchange. When you post a listing:
- Your listing content (title, description, images, contact method) is visible to other members
- Listings are stored in our database and retained until you delete them or your account is closed
Important: We are a platform only. We are not a party to any barter or trade agreement made between members. All transactions, exchanges, and agreements are made solely between the participating members. We do not verify, endorse, or guarantee any listings, goods, services, or member conduct. We are not responsible for any disputes, losses, or damages arising from member-to-member transactions. Use good judgment and exercise caution when engaging in any exchange.
Camera Access (QR Code Scanning)
Our platform includes a “Scan a Card” feature that requests access to your device’s camera to read a physical card’s QR code. This permission is optional and requested only when you choose to use this feature. No photo, video, or image data is ever transmitted to our servers or stored anywhere. The camera feed is processed entirely within your own browser or device to identify the QR code; only the resulting link is used, to take you to that card’s page. You may deny camera access and continue using the platform normally — you can browse the digital card deck or type in a card’s link directly instead.
IDEA Cards, Activities, and Challenges
As part of using our card-based coaching platform, we collect and store the following information tied to your account:
- Your written responses to card activities, saved to your personal
journal - Your progress through cards, activities, and challenges, including
completion dates - A record of when you scan a physical card’s QR code
- Any “Next Moves” (tasks) you create for yourself, including their
title, description, due date, and status
This information is visible only to you and to site administrators managing the platform. It is retained under the same terms described in “How long we retain your data” above, and is included in any data export or deletion request you submit under “What rights you have over your data.”
Push Notifications (OneSignal)
We use OneSignal to send optional push notifications to members who choose to receive them. Push notifications may include alerts about new messages, platform updates, or community activity.
- Push notifications are opt-in only. You will be prompted to allow or deny notifications in your browser or on your device.
- If you opt in, OneSignal stores a unique device/browser token associated with your notification subscription.
- You can opt out of push notifications at any time through your browser settings, device notification settings, or your account preferences on this site.
For more information, please review the OneSignal Privacy Policy.
Cloudflare (cdnjs) and jsDelivr
– Some icons and code libraries used on this site are loaded directly by your browser from these content delivery networks. As with any website using a CDN, this means these services may receive your browser’s IP address and basic request information when those files load. No personal account information is sent to these services.
Progressive Web App (PWA)
This website is available as a Progressive Web App (PWA) powered by the Super PWA plugin. If you choose to install the PWA on your device:
- Certain site assets and pages may be cached locally on your device to allow faster loading and limited offline access
- This cached data is stored on your device and is not transmitted to us
- You can clear cached data at any time through your browser or device settings
Site Analytics (Jetpack)
We use Jetpack (by Automattic) to collect basic, anonymized site statistics such as page views, visitor counts, and popular content. This data helps us understand how the site is being used so we can improve it. Jetpack may use cookies and collect your IP address for this purpose. For more information, see the Automattic Privacy Policy.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Who we share your data with
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. We share data only as necessary to operate this platform, with the following service providers:
- Stripe – Payment processing. Receives billing and transaction data necessary to process your membership payments.
- OneSignal – Push notification delivery. Receives a device/browser token if you opt in to notifications.
- Jetpack / Automattic – Site analytics. Receives anonymized usage data.
- SiteGround – Web hosting. Your data is stored on SiteGround servers and may be processed as part of standard hosting operations.
If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
We may also disclose your information if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights and safety of our platform and its members.
How long we retain your data
We retain your data for as long as necessary to provide services and meet our legal obligations. Specific retention periods are as follows:
- Account & profile data – Retained for the life of your account. If you close your account, your data will be deleted or anonymized within a reasonable timeframe, except where retention is required by law.
- Private messages – Retained until deleted by you or a site administrator.
- Directory & trade listings – Retained until deleted by you or removed by an administrator.
- Payment & transaction records – Retained for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with tax and financial recordkeeping requirements.
- Comments – Retained indefinitely so we can recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
- Analytics data – Retained per Jetpack/Automattic’s data retention policies.
For users that register on our website, we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Specifically, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Opt out of push notifications at any time
- Edit or remove your business directory and barter/trade listings
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@whereideasbegin.com.
California Privacy Rights (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). We do not sell your personal information to any third parties. The categories of personal information we collect include identifiers (name, email, IP address), commercial information (membership and payment records), and internet activity (site usage data). You have the right to request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, and to request deletion of that information. To submit a request, please contact us at info@whereideasbegin.com.
Where your data is sent
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service. Payment data is transmitted to Stripe for processing. Push notification tokens are transmitted to OneSignal. Site analytics data is transmitted to Jetpack/Automattic. All third-party services we use are bound by their own privacy policies and data protection practices.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact us at info@whereideasbegin.com.