Lemmy in general, yes. Here in self hosted at least a couple of times that I've seen. Including earlier today. But I don't interact on every post.

I only find out because sometimes I like to go back to posts I comment on and see what additional information people have offered. (There's always something to learn.) Then I find the post has been deleted.

I think the mods/admins would have more accurate info on how often it's happening.

Could they be astroturfing, looking for a specific solution to fill search engines with their own product placement, then deleting because most of the comments are other FOSS solutions?

Somebody pointed out that the person might be afraid they gave so much info that their post gets de-anonymized - but IMO people afraid of that shouldn't post on public forums to begin with.

It's not that complicated. New user gets an answer, feels like the post isn't relevant anymore, and deletes it without thinking.

Still a massive dick move, but still.

This is more likely the answer. I've seen multiple popular posts get deleted from here. I wish Lemmy did the soft delete method instead so that history is kept.

this really sucks. can't they just lock comments or something

Realistically, a platform where you can delete your own questions so that they disappear for everyone isn't the best platform for technical support communities. But a platform where you can't delete your own posts is not the best platform for for a lot of other things, like privacy.

Two use cases without overlap seems like a good argument that there should be two different platforms.

Thank you for the update!

And I'll use your comment as my post here for a local mod appointment of my lw account!

Let’s hope this results in a better community for the selfhosters here.

Wow! I just noticed that. Shit moves quickly on the tubes. Welcome our new overlords!

a moderator removing posts for a very far stretch interpretation of Rule 3

...stretch by which party? in the sense that the post not really about self-hosting (and OP tried to use rule 3 in a stretched interpretation), or that the post was about self-hosting but moderator applied it in unnecessarily strict way? The way you phrased it seems like the former, but then why would that result in moderator resigning?

(I'm not a native English speaker so sorry if it should have been clear.)

I don't get it either, but it was also a big problem on Reddit for years.

It's just another type of advertising to them. Ask a question trying to solve a problem, then use your alt account to shill your own solution.

Because the moderators will ban them if they don't.

"fuck you got mine"

There are a couple of accounts who were doing this regularly for some reason on all sorts of different topics. But I would need to see more evidence of this happening. As someone else mentioned it could be mods or a couple rare cases or all sorts of things.

Asking questions in a public forum (after searching imo) is generally a positive thing. Answers are then public and the next person with the question can find the answer. That sort of behaviour should be encouraged, and no one will ever complain about it imo.

It was a mod

I try to remember to put [SOLVED] on any serious post I make, after the fact.

You (and folks who do the same) are unsung heroes. Thank you.

Someone may have the same question in the future and there will be answers. You not responding is not that bad but it is even better that you do and provide an update to your situation, if you wish.