Terms Of Use

In the Terms Of Use menu option:

• each node has the opportunity to specify its own terms of use (TOU, a.k.a. acceptable use policy)
• each TOU has a version number
• each TOU has a version type, which is either MINOR or MAJOR
• every user that uses the services of a node must read and accept the terms of use

Terms Of Use overview

Node and portal admins

Adding new terms of use

The overview table contains a tab for every node. In every tab, a node admin can add a new Terms Of Use policy by clicking the + TERMS OF USE button. The node admin then needs to specify the node for which this TOU is valid, a version number (we recommend major.minor, e.g. 2.3) and a version type (MINOR or MAJOR) which indicates the change compared to the previous document. The actual text for the TOU must be written in Markdown format, which then will be rendered on screen. Once entered, the text cannot be altered anymore. Therefore make sure you create and review the text before you publish it here.

When a new version of the Terms Of Use is created, all the users of this node get informed by mail, indicating that a new Terms Of Use is available which they need to accept soon in order to continue using the service.

Currently there is no further mechanism implemented which would block a user, for example.

Read terms of use

By clicking on a single TOU, a new screen is shown where the details of the TOU are presented. An additional users tab shows the list of users who have already read and accepted this version of TOU.

Download TOU list

A convenient way to get a complete overview is to click on the blue download button on the TOU overview. This provides a CSV listing all nodes, all versions and all users that accepted it, including the date it has been accepted.

Project users

Every project is assigned to a specific node, and every node has its own Terms Of Use. Users of any given project need to read and accept the TOU once per node.

Read and accept terms of use

In the overview table, all users see a READ AND ACCEPT button for the Terms Of Use they have not accepted yet. The button takes them to the read and accept page, where they see the rendered Terms Of Use page(s) plus a checkbox:

[x] I have read and understood the node’s terms of use,

followed by a CONFIRM button. Once a user confirms, the node admin gets notified by email. You cannot reject the Terms Of Use once you accepted. Once you accepted, the latest version you accepted will appear in the Users tab of the Projects overview table.

By clicking on a single TOU, a new screen is shown where the details of the TOU are presented.