Let me pose the question … how much have you thought about or actually contributed to your company's Web site privacy policy?

Privacy policies are all about disclosure and making it simple.

Any business online today should publish a privacy policy pertaining to their Web site and the kinds of information that can be collected and used as people visit or conduct online activity.

Here are some great tips from TRUSTe, a leader in online privacy compliance pertaining to Web site privacy policy statements:

"Your Web Site’s Privacy Statement

"Review your privacy statement to make sure it’s easy to read and understand.
Build trust with your consumers: write your privacy statement in straightforward language and organize it clearly.

"Make sure your privacy statement aligns with your terms-of-service statement.
This is best done by cross-referencing your privacy statement with your terms-of-use statement. Confirming uniform privacy practices throughout your Web site projects a clear and concise impression to consumers while minimizing your exposure to privacy risk.

"When establishing your company’s privacy program, build internal documents with an eye to your public privacy statement.
Your posted privacy statement defines your entire privacy program. All the internal documentation of the processes and procedures you use to enforce privacy within your organization should be in lockstep with that statement. Make sure that your internal documents and policies reflect what your outward-facing privacy statement says - it’s one more step toward mitigating your privacy risk."

Disclosing (via your privacy policy) what, when, why and how you collect specific data points about your Web site visitors goes a long way towards building and maintaining a good online reputation.

If you don’t have a privacy policy for your organization, create and publish one. If you have an existing framework then maybe it’s time for a privacy tune up.

Remember to keep it simple and disclose all pertinent issues, and yes, run it by legal for a greenlight or approval if needed.

Answer: A privacy policy helps - definitely.

Cheers.

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About the Author

David Fowler is the director of email strategy, deliverability and privacy compliance for Lyris. He consults with email marketers to help them get better results from their email programs.

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