GobiernoUSA.gov
Encyclopedia
GobiernoUSA.gov is the official web portal
of the United States Government in Spanish. It is the sister site of USA.gov
, the official web portal of the U.S. Government in English. "Gobierno" is Spanish for "government."
GobiernoUSA.gov provides official U.S. Government information and services in Spanish in a user-friendly way. It gives Spanish speakers access to government information and services, original articles, and social media channels.
GobiernoUSA.gov is not a direct translation of USA.gov, but rather a social and cultural adaptation designed to address the unique information needs of Spanish speakers. It reaches out to readers by using the latest Internet communication tools as well as through community collaboration.
During natural disasters, GobiernoUSA.gov provides official, centralized U.S. Government information for Spanish speakers. In 2005, the portal aggregated official information in Spanish in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, offering information about federal and state benefits as well as assistance programs for disaster victims. The site adopted a similar response during the 2007 Southern California wildfires
, which burned more than 1,500 homes.
GobiernoUSA.gov is part of the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies in the U.S. General Services Administration.
. USA.gov links to every federal agency and to state, local, and tribal governments, and is the most comprehensive site in—and about—the U.S. government.
GobiernoUSA.gov was launched on October 16, 2003 to support Executive Order 13166
, signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000, which requires federal agencies to provide meaningful information and services for people with limited English proficiency (LEP).
The portal is the key part of an integrated outreach effort created to address the unique government information needs of the estimated 35 million U.S. residents who speak Spanish at home, or about 12% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Hispanic online visitors have been growing faster than the total U.S. Internet audience. The Hispanic online audience grew by 3.3 million users between April 2009 and March 2010. There are now more than 23.6 million Hispanic users online.
The portal was initially called FirstGov En Español but was renamed GobiernoUSA.gov in 2007 to reflect more accurately that it’s the federal government’s website in Spanish. It was redesigned in the summer of 2010 to keep up with advancements in technology and to better respond to its audience needs. Among the new features is a clear and easy to navigate design, mega drop down menus in all pages, and a rotator box featuring the most relevant information for Hispanics. On February 23, 2011 the portal rolled out a mobile version of the site, allowing users to access a wide range of government programs and services on mobile devices.
Originally conceived as a directory of federal websites, the portal now includes robust state and local government directories. It also offers a variety of online services and original content about government programs and services with the Spanish-speaking user in mind. In 2008, GobiernoUSA.gov launched a social media outreach campaign where users can receive updates on a variety of topics and interact with the government through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
, which gives people with disabilities the same access to information as the rest of the public.
The portal strives to preserve government information as outlined in the E-Government Act of 2002
. It also follows policies set forth by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Policy for Federal Public Websites.
The site complies with the Privacy Act of 1974
and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002.
GobiernoUSA.gov leads the Federal Multilingual Websites Committee, a group of federal, state, and local web managers working to expand and improve web content in languages other than English.
Web portal
A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
of the United States Government in Spanish. It is the sister site of USA.gov
USA.gov
USA.gov is the official web portal of the United States government. It is designed to improve the public’s interaction with the U.S. government by quickly directing website visitors to the services or information they are seeking, and by inviting the public to share ideas to improve government...
, the official web portal of the U.S. Government in English. "Gobierno" is Spanish for "government."
GobiernoUSA.gov provides official U.S. Government information and services in Spanish in a user-friendly way. It gives Spanish speakers access to government information and services, original articles, and social media channels.
GobiernoUSA.gov is not a direct translation of USA.gov, but rather a social and cultural adaptation designed to address the unique information needs of Spanish speakers. It reaches out to readers by using the latest Internet communication tools as well as through community collaboration.
During natural disasters, GobiernoUSA.gov provides official, centralized U.S. Government information for Spanish speakers. In 2005, the portal aggregated official information in Spanish in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, offering information about federal and state benefits as well as assistance programs for disaster victims. The site adopted a similar response during the 2007 Southern California wildfires
October 2007 California wildfires
The October 2007 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and over 500,000 acres of land burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border...
, which burned more than 1,500 homes.
GobiernoUSA.gov is part of the Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies in the U.S. General Services Administration.
History
GobiernoUSA.gov is part of USA.govUSA.gov
USA.gov is the official web portal of the United States government. It is designed to improve the public’s interaction with the U.S. government by quickly directing website visitors to the services or information they are seeking, and by inviting the public to share ideas to improve government...
. USA.gov links to every federal agency and to state, local, and tribal governments, and is the most comprehensive site in—and about—the U.S. government.
GobiernoUSA.gov was launched on October 16, 2003 to support Executive Order 13166
Executive Order 13166
On August 11, 2000, United States President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”...
, signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000, which requires federal agencies to provide meaningful information and services for people with limited English proficiency (LEP).
The portal is the key part of an integrated outreach effort created to address the unique government information needs of the estimated 35 million U.S. residents who speak Spanish at home, or about 12% of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Hispanic online visitors have been growing faster than the total U.S. Internet audience. The Hispanic online audience grew by 3.3 million users between April 2009 and March 2010. There are now more than 23.6 million Hispanic users online.
The portal was initially called FirstGov En Español but was renamed GobiernoUSA.gov in 2007 to reflect more accurately that it’s the federal government’s website in Spanish. It was redesigned in the summer of 2010 to keep up with advancements in technology and to better respond to its audience needs. Among the new features is a clear and easy to navigate design, mega drop down menus in all pages, and a rotator box featuring the most relevant information for Hispanics. On February 23, 2011 the portal rolled out a mobile version of the site, allowing users to access a wide range of government programs and services on mobile devices.
Originally conceived as a directory of federal websites, the portal now includes robust state and local government directories. It also offers a variety of online services and original content about government programs and services with the Spanish-speaking user in mind. In 2008, GobiernoUSA.gov launched a social media outreach campaign where users can receive updates on a variety of topics and interact with the government through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Features
GobiernoUSA.gov offers a directory of federal, state and local resources in Spanish organized by topics in which users can easily find information. Additionally, the following features allow users to find the information and services they need, and to stay updated with changes and new information.- Original content: Users can read articles highlighting government programs and services. These articles feature interviews, video, and audio (with transcripts) with government officials on important topics such as immigration, education, health, and many others.
- Online services: Visitors can download and submit forms, perform searches, and find a large number of Spanish language government services at the federal, state and local levels.
- Search engine: A powerful search engine provides users the most relevant and official government search results in Spanish from millions of federal, state and local government pages. The search capability is available from any page or directly from Buscador.gov.
- Subscription services: Users can sign-up to receive free e-mail alerts and RSS feeds whenever information on the site is updated.
- Bi-directional toggle: Users can view the corresponding English page on USA.gov where applicable.
- Accessibility: GobiernoUSA.gov is accessible to all users, providing the ability to change font size on any page, an especially helpful feature for the visually impaired or those with other disabilities.
Outreach
To reach Hispanic audiences online, GobiernoUSA.gov has a proactive outreach program. This includes:- Social networking services: Users can engage with GobiernoUSA.gov on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
and FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
and watch official Government videos in YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - Key partnerships in the Hispanic community: GobiernoUSA.gov disseminates information through some of the most popular Spanish-language websites, including UnivisionUnivisionUnivision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
, MSN Latino, AOL Latino, Terra, and others.
Federal web requirements, guidelines, and multilingual committee
GobiernoUSA.gov adheres to all requirements and guidelines for federal websites, including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation ActSection 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
In 1998 the US Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities...
, which gives people with disabilities the same access to information as the rest of the public.
The portal strives to preserve government information as outlined in the E-Government Act of 2002
E-Government Act of 2002
The E-Government Act of 2002 , is a United States statute enacted on December 17, 2002, with an effective date for most provisions of April 17, 2003...
. It also follows policies set forth by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Policy for Federal Public Websites.
The site complies with the Privacy Act of 1974
Privacy Act of 1974
The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a, Public Law No. 93-579, establishes a Code of Fair Information Practice that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies...
and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002.
GobiernoUSA.gov leads the Federal Multilingual Websites Committee, a group of federal, state, and local web managers working to expand and improve web content in languages other than English.