Mark, I am no whiz at this either, but here is my understanding. When you contact a web site and register, the site sets a small program called a "cookie" (oh, I don't know why it is a cookie). The cookie enables the web site to "recognize" you whenever you log on.

I am a registered Mudcat user. When I log on, my Mudcat automatically appears in the From section of any posting I make. That is the work of the cookie. When I click on Personal Pages, my personal page comes up, because the Mudcat read my cookie.

Hope this helps you. Someone with more expertise maight be more precise. Sometimes it is better for a neophyte to explain to a neophyte because they have the same vocabulary.

Roger in Baltiomre