Opening Words

Welcome ! I hope you enjoy browsing through my web site. Most of the points raised below will be familiar to, and understood by, most of us. They aim to be what you might call "Common Sense" and indeed, will be relevant to many web sites. However, I think I am being curteous to you, my visitor, if I try my hardest to nip any slightest possible misunderstandings - especially in the legal, safety and copyright domains - in the bud, before we have even the least hint of a situation that could potentially blossom out of control. It is of course always nice to keep life simple and amenable!

This "Read Me" web page may also be deemed to contain the basic "Terms & Conditions" (T&C) associated with the accessing, perusal and potential use of the material presented on the web site with the URL "ericweb.online".

In advance, Many Thanks!

Purpose of this Web Site

The aim of my web site is to share my experiences - in picture and text - with you, the visitor. Unless overtly based entirely on my personal and individual experiences, my web pages are also designed to support the aims of the clubs and societies to which these web pages make reference, either pictorially or textually, in the headers and subsequent content of the relevant web pages.

Viewing this Web Site

As many of you will know, a web browser provides the means of viewing these, or any, web pages, irrespective of the underlying computer hardware and operating system on which the browsers run. However, the reduced screen sizes usually associated with Smartphones, can be an issue for the website visitor.

• Laptops and Desktops. Regarding the viewing experience, my web site visitors should find my webpages to be compatible with the popular and well-known browsers such as Mozilla Firefox®, Microsoft Edge® and Chrome®, where the latest updates of these browsers are running on Laptop and Desktop computers. It is also to be expected that the web pages on my site will be compatible with latest versions of the widely known Safari®, Opera® and Maxthon® browsers running on the said computers.


• Smartphones, of course, usually have displays smaller than those associated with Laptop and Desktop computers. If the web pages are scaled down in size, it means the text may become too small to read comfortably and clearly. Different browsers running on smartphones and hand-helds, offer an enlarged font size, in different ways, sometimes in the process altering the layout of a page and sometimes not even distinguishing between normal and italic fonts! Bearing in mind that technology is fast changing, it would not be appropriate to detail these aspects further on this web page. It is, however, important that the uninitiated reader is aware of these aspects.

In short, the pages on this web site are best viewed using the latest versions of browsers running, where possible, on Laptop or Desktop computers. Reduced screen size could be a viewing issue on Smartphones.

Disclaimers

Disclaimers, such as you see below, are common to most web sites. These issues include content, web safety, more on web safety, links to external web sites, Formatting of external web sites, tracking cookies, language aspects, legal domain and local social customs, and technical and artistic aspects. In addition, the vast majority of pictures on the web site - whether digital photographs or clip art - are created by me; in this context I am happy to enjoy the creative (such as it might be) freedom of an amateur.

• Content: The information I provide on and/or through my web pages, is on a genuine best efforts basis, but I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information, in whatever form it may occur. A list of such forms includes: text, translated text (however translated and from whatever language translated), pictures, film and sound (audio), but I do not guarantee that this list is complete. I hereby state that I am not responsible for any loss in financial terms, medical and/or health terms, or in terms of any other personal assets, of anyone, arising from such person or persons accessing, looking at, reading and/or using, for whatever purpose, my web pages and the content of, and/or available through, these pages which are located on the web site "https://www.ericweb.online".


• Web Safety: I have, to the best of my ability, checked these pages (which are located on the web site "https://www.ericweb.online") - and downloads from the said pages - for viruses and general safety, but cannot guarantee 100% such safety. This also applies to the execution and/or use on your computer of (e.g. ".exe", ".txt" or ".gpx") files downloaded from the said pages. However, those (1) accessing, looking at, reading and/or using my web pages on the web site "https://www.ericweb.online", and/or (2) running on their own computer(s) (i) media (e.g. audio) files downloaded from the said web site, (ii) executable files downloaded from the said web site, or (iii) files created from source files downloaded from the said web site, do so entirely at their own risk. This is fair, because no commercial agreement and/or financial transaction takes place between (1) the visitor to, and user of, this web site and its contents and (2) the creator and content manager of this web site. In this context it is useful to remember the conditions under which individuals execute on their computers free open source software including, for example, GNU software.


• More on Web Safety:
  • External Links: On the present web site, external links usually open in a separate window in order to foster web safety.
  • https: The web site is also "https" which fosters security of communication between you the visitor and the server.
  
  
• Other Web Sites - Content: I am not responsible for the content of any web sites to which my pages may make links. However, to the best of my ability, I try to ensure that such external web sites are respectable, safe and reliable. Please note that to foster web safety, external links will open in a separate window (i.e. with a new tab).


• Formatting of External Pages. I am not responsible for the formatting of external web pages to which my site may make links.


• Tracking Cookies: This web site has been designed NOT to generate or place on your PC any cookies. Cookies are chunks of data that enable an external web site to find out about your personal web-based preferences. As such, this site is therefore not subject to the requirements of the EU cookie legislation introduced on May 26, 2012. Of course, I cannot control the cookie behaviour of external web sites referenced from my pages. You will find that some browsers give you the option of ensuring that the browser automatically removes cookies generated during a browser session when you exit your browser. Another option is that you can instruct your browser not to accept any new cookies from external web sites and not to allow the use by external web sites of any cookies that have been already downloaded from external web sites. A further option is that you can also remove from your PC or Tablet unwanted cookies from such external sites by using your security software (e.g. Norton® or McAffee®).


• Language Aspects. Here there are issues which include variations in English used in different parts of the globe, spelling, grammar and syntax, use of spellchecker facilities and translation of a web page written in another language.
  
  
  • Type of English. Whilst not purporting to be in any way an expert in matters linguistic, I try, in these web pages which are written in English, to conform to the English used and spoken in the British Isles. Versions of English used and spoken in different parts of the world can vary in terms of meaning and shades of meaning attributed to particular words; for example, the English meaning of the word "solicitor" is certainly different from its meaning in the USA!
  
  
  • Spelling, Grammar and Syntax. The message relayed by the contents of a web page may sometimes survive poor language usage and wrong spelling. However, this may not always be the case, and by neglecting these language issues, I would be relinquishing my duty of linguistic care to my readers, for some of whom English may not be their first language.
  
  
  • Spell Checking. To assist matters, I use the spellcheck facility in MS Word®, but despite best efforts, I can not guarantee completely correct spelling, grammar and usage. Of course, there is the usual issue of "typos" which spellcheckers, if appropriately used, should catch. However, we should also not forget that into the linguistic melting pot also go proper nouns and colloquial words (e.g. "howzat") and colloquial expressions, some of which may not be recognised by spellcheckers.
  
  
  • Translation. Some of my web pages may occasionally be written in a language other than English, for the benefit of a particular readership, or because it may sometimes be easier to write in another language! On the web you will find translators of web pages written in other languages. An example is a set of translators provided by Google®. To use this facility, call up the Google® search engine. Instead of using a search word or theme, just use the URL (web address) of the page you wish to be translated. Google® will find the page, if it can, and, having found it, will ask you if you wish the page to be translated. Translation is almost impossible to automate accurately for all but the simplest situations; however, the Google® translators do reasonably well, even though they can sometimes produce "strange results". Users of the Google® Chrome® browser will find that this browser already has direct access to translators.


• Legal Domain and Local Social Customs: These pages have been created, to the best of my ability, in accordance with the laws and accepted social customs prevailing in England and Wales at the date and time of the latest update of this page. These legal and social aspects should also accord with those prevailing in other parts of the world where individuals may wish to access my web pages. Obviously, despite best efforts, I cannot be expected to have a detailed familiarity with all the social customs and legal systems in other parts of the world.


• Technical & Artistic Aspects: The vast majority of pictures on the web site - whether digital photographs or clip art - are created by me; in this context I am happy to enjoy the creative (such as it might be) freedom of an amateur. The pictures are generally either "holiday snaps" or other "personal snaps", and I make no substantial claims to any photographic competence, technical or artistic. However, inevitably, the original 16, 12, 7.2 or 3 Mega Pixel pictures generally do give more of what I am trying to convey. Should you be interested in any particular picture, I may be able to furnish you electronically with a copy of the original, unless requested or obliged otherwise, by a person or persons appearing in the said picture or by the nature of the subject of the said picture or because the copyright of the said picture belongs to a person other than myself. The size of the original picture is likely to be anywhere between 4 and 6 MB, especially since I have often used minimal JPEG encoding to maximise technical quality.

Copyright

Legal issues are always best appproached, in the first instance, on a common sense basis. It is invariably nicer, easier and more convenient for everyone if we can keep matters at that level! Copyright, as I have tried to explain below, covers two aspects: (1) my material, which forms the bulk of what you see on this web site, and (2) material which comes from other individuals or parties. There are also the associated issues of registered trademarks and potential commercial use.

• Copyright: Normally accepted copyright rules - which I'm sure are familiar to most of us - apply. If you wish to use the pictures or other content on, or closely associated with, this web site - for what such pictures or content may be worth - please always quote the source. This, of course, as I'm sure you will appreciate, shows courteous consideration to those appearing in the pictures and also to the photographer (usually me!). Of course, please do not modify the pictures, or use them in illegal or otherwise inappropriate contexts. It is, however, fair that for potential commercial use stricter criteria should apply. In advance, Many Thanks!
  
  
• Outside Material: Most of the text and pictures on my web site has originated from me. In the few cases where any text or pictures belong to, and directly originate from, others, I have tried to ensure that such material is clearly identified. Permission to use such material should of course be sought - directly or through me - from the originators thereof. Again, Many Thanks!
  
  
• Trademarks: Where trademarks are used on this web site, they are normally followed by the "®" character. Whilst the use of such trademarks, by parties other than the respective owners of the trademarks, may be - from the point of view of publicity or otherwise - beneficial to the aforesaid owners, such use is nevertheless carefully controlled by relevant laws.
  
  
• Commercial Use: As mentioned, my web site and its contents have largely been created on an amateur and "hobby" basis, partly to support the aims of "leisure time" organisations, such as those to which I belong. However, should commercial organisations wish to use any of the content on this web site for financial profit, then it is fair - in line with web sites of a nature similar to mine - for some financial appreciation (as well as appreciation in the form of references to my site) to be negotiated and arranged in advance with me, as the owner of this web site, using the contact facility given below. In advance, Many Thanks!

Updates

Pages on this website, including this one, may be updated occasionally, in order to ensure that you the visitor can enjoy the latest version of the relevant pages. The website owner does not accept any responsibility for loss or damage resulting from unannounced updates; this is fair because no commercial contract exists between owner and visitor to cover this situation. The date and time of the latest update are deemed to be the "version" of a page or group of pages, and are to be found at the bottom of the relevant pages. On this page, for example, it is at Version or Latest Update. The date and time are Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or British Summer Time (BST) as appropriate.

The contents of the latest update to any page on this website will be deemed to supersede the contents of all earlier versions of the said page.

Contact

Contact: You can contact me using waverley@ericweb.online. It is always nice to have a constructive dialogue with you, the visitors to my website.

It's of course nice for all of us if security aspects can be kept to a minimum! So please do not send emails with attachments, or emails that appear in any way suspicious (e.g. as regards source, contents or links). In advance, Thank you Very Much!

Please enjoy your visit my website!