{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Facts on the Federal-Compatible Terms of Service Agreement for Yelp |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Facts on the Federal-Compatible Terms of Service Agreement for Yelp",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/20/facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Facts on the Federal-Compatible Terms of Service Agreement for Yelp","summary" : "We’ve been excited to see the outpouring of interest this week in response to Yelp’s decision to amend their terms of service for official government use, a clear message that citizens want more ways to ensure their voices are heard by the public programs that serve them. Yelp is just one of dozens of platforms","date" : "2015-08-20T02:59:39-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"jherman" : "Justin Herman"},"topics" : {
        
            "social-media" : "Social media",
            "terms-of-service" : "Terms of service"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-08-20-facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/08/2015-08-20-facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/08/2015-08-20-facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/08/2015-08-20-facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp.md","slug" : "facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/20/facts-on-the-federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreement-for-yelp/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eWe’ve been excited to see the outpouring of interest this week in response to Yelp’s decision to amend their terms of service for official government use, a clear message that citizens want more ways to ensure their voices are heard by the public programs that serve them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYelp is just one of dozens of platforms similarly available for agencies to listen to the “Voice of the Customer,” like \u003ca href=\"https://feedback.usa.gov/\"\u003eFeedback USA\u003c/a\u003e. We want to take this opportunity to dispel some myths (there’s a lot), explain the process itself (it’s wonky even by government standards), and let you know what you can (or can not) expect in case this is your first time hearing about this program.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-are-federal-compatible-terms-of-service\"\u003eWhat are federal-compatible terms of service?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGSA works with agencies to negotiate amended terms of service agreements for free third-party apps, which includes steps like removing advertisements so as not to look like endorsements. For more information, check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/memoranda/2013/m-13-10.pdf\"\u003eOMB Memorandum M–13–10\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"who-has-federal-compatible-terms-of-service\"\u003eWho has federal-compatible terms of service?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYelp is one of 80 third-party apps GSA has made available to agencies through amended terms of service.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYelp is one of many options for citizen feedback “Voice of the Customer” tools available through amended terms of service, including UserVoice, Quora, SurveyMonkey, Survey Analytics, IdeaScale, 4QSurvey.com, and rating systems in Google and Facebook products and services.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWe work with a diverse set of vendors and products so agencies can evaluate and find the perfect fit that matches their individual mission needs—one size does not fit all in the private sector or in public service.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"what-does-making-an-app-available-mean-for-public-services\"\u003eWhat does making an app available mean for public services?\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe fact that an app has released federal-compatible terms of service does not mean all agencies are required to or intend to use them; it simply means the door is open for agencies to use them.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgencies can then evaluate and analyze whether it might help them improve services, and through programs like the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/social-media/\"\u003eSocialGov Community\u003c/a\u003e we share best practices and resources to help measurably improve citizen services.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGSA pursued amended terms of service for Yelp based on expressed interest from some agencies, starting with an \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/22/saferride-app-could-save-your-life/\"\u003eapp from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration designed to save lives and prevent drunk driving over the holidays\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAs standard practice, GSA does not endorse or encourage the use of any specific tool—we make it available for use and agencies then evaluate and use based on their own needs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheck back for an upcoming DigitalGov University webinar on Customer Experience and third-party tools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso, for more information, check out some of our posts on Yelp for public services:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/22/saferride-app-could-save-your-life/\"\u003eSaferRide App Could Save Your Life\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/26/new-nhtsa-app-uses-yelp-api/\"\u003eNew NHTSA App Uses Yelp API\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/07/five-star-customer-experience-in-public-service-with-yelp/\"\u003eFive-Star Customer Experience in Public Service with Yelp\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/federal-compatible-terms-of-service-agreements/\"\u003eFederal-Compatible Terms of Service Agreements\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/resources/negotiated-terms-of-service-agreements/\"\u003eNegotiated Terms of Service Agreements\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n"}
  ]
}