Sign up here to join the Poor Speller Removal Team

Spelling has sometimes been an issue at DU. Part of the DU experience is becoming a better speller. That's why we removed the Spell Check. It was a crutch used by the weak. At the new DU, you either learn how to spell, or you go away. In that spirit, I am authorized to impanel the first Poor Speller Removal Team (PSR Team).


Detailed Explanation of the PSR Team Process

For those who are interested, here is a detailed breakdown of the process for reviewing and handling poor spellers.
1. A member clicks the "Alert abuse" link on any post and then:
a. selects a Spelling Standards violation.
b. checks the box for a Terms of Service violation.
c. provides an explanation for the alert (optional).
d. submits the alert.


2. The alert is sent to a Jury which reviews the post for a Spelling Standards violation. The Jury will either:
a. vote to hide the post.
b. vote to leave the post alone.

3. Once the Jury has completed the review process, an email alert is sent:
a. to every member of the Poor Speller Removal Team as well as the Administrators, if the Jury voted to hide the post.
b. to the Administrators only, if the Jury voted to leave the post alone.


4. The subject of the email alert contains the alerted member's username as well as an "urgency score" which is calculated thusly (with a lower score implying a more relevant alert to the PSR Team): a.Alerted member's post count = 1 point per post
b. Alerted member's time of membership = 1 point per day
c. Time between post made and alert sent = 1 point per minute


5. The body of the email alert contains the alerted member's username, post count, and date of registration, along with the text of the alerted message, any comments the alerter may have added, any comments the Jury may have added, and a direct link to the post.


6. Members of the PSR Team, along with the Administrators, review the email alert. Note that:
a. Members of the PSR Team review the alert only for potential poor spellers.
b. Administrators review the alert for potential poor spellers and any other potential violation of the Terms of Service.


7. Optional: If they are not 100% sure that the alerted member is a poor speller, members of the PSR Team may discuss the alert in the PSR Workspace.


8. If any member of the PSR Team, or any Administrator, reviews an alert and determines that the alerted member is indeed a poor speller, they may revoke the member's posting privileges. However, it is important to note that members of the PSR Team can only revoke a member's posting privileges if that member has had a post hidden by Jury within the previous hour. The PSR Team is physically prevented by the discussion forum software from revoking the posting privileges of any other member. (Administrators can revoke the posting privileges of any member at any time.)

9. Revoking a member's posting privileges is not a simple one-click process. To revoke someone's posting privileges, PSR Team members must:
a. Manually enter detailed information about the member (username, post count, time of membership, etc.)
b. Provide an explanation for the revocation, which will become public on the member's Transparency page
c. Sign off on the revocation by confirming that they: i.understand that the member's posting privileges will be revoked, and that the information on the member's Transparency page will become public
ii. acknowledge that they are responsible for the revocation and that their username will be made public on the member's Transparency page
iii. believe that every other member of the PSR Team would agree that the revocation is necessary



10. Once a member's posting privileges are revoked, their Transparency page will be displayed (if it isn't already). A notation will be placed on the Transparency page containing the reason for the revocation, along with the username of the PSR Team member or the Administrator who performed the revocation.