First of all, please understand that just because a post of yours has had some content moderated or even been deleted entirely we don’t think you are a bad person. We are not telling you that you are unwelcome on the Forum or to stop posting. If we were wanting to tell you those things, then we would tell you that explicitly.
Even valued and experienced members of the community get moderated from time to time. We see it as like a protocol or syntax error. When we edit a post a Moderator will be doing their job well if they can retain your ideas but omit the parts that detract from the discussion because they are outside the guidelines. Ultimately we are trying to ensure that relevant posts get heard and noticed, and do not have their message confused by emotional reactions from others.
There will often be a continuum where moderators have to draw a line. If you disparage someone’s argument with a rhetorical flourish, then a personal attack is more likely to follow. If we delete a whole series of posts it doesn’t necessarily mean they were all outside the guidelines, posts about other people’s posts can get cleared away in the interests of keeping the on topic discussion clear.
Different moderators may make different decisions about where the line should be drawn on any particular occasion, but we usually try to have at least two of us review a post. Sometimes we may act alone if there is a clear breach of the guidelines in order to stop a thread deteriorating into a downward spiral.
After you’ve read the above, if you think that you’ve been dealt with harshly or unfairly, you may always message @Wyatt, @noris, @connor, or @benjamin with any concerns you have about moderation.