(This will be added to the FAQ eventually.)
One of the most common reasons moderators have for deleting or editing a post at City-Data is that it is off-topic and personal. What does this mean when a post receives an edit or deletion for this reason?
City-Data exists as a place to discuss the subject matter of its forums. Moderators expect that not everyone will have the same opinion about every subject. As it says in the Terms of Service, "if you disagree with something, say so, but explain WHY."
Sometimes it is tempting to draw personal conclusions about those you disagree with.
"You said you don't like any of the hamburger places in Anytown. You must be a vegetarian!"
"You didn't vote for the last 3 school bond issues? Your voting choices seem so selfish! You must not care about children!"
"Just last week you were giving advice on diet centers. If you need to lose weight, why are you posting in this thread about donut shops?"
"It figures you'd be here commenting on this thread. You never have anything nice to say about the mayor."
All of those are (made-up) examples of personal observations that have nothing to do with the original topic, so they're
off topic.
They might not be
intended to be insulting, but they could be
viewed as insulting. Insults and personal attacks are against the TOS, so this kind of personal observation should be avoided to prevent a misunderstanding. It's best to discuss the thread topic and avoid getting
personal. Moderators would rather see topics discussed in a civil fashion than have to clean up messy flame wars that result from misunderstandings. That's why mods remove these kinds of personal asides from threads.
How can you avoid getting your post edited or deleted for this reason?
Be extra careful with what you say with the word "you." Anytime you use the word "you" in a reply, consider whether the rest of the sentence has a direct connection to the thread topic. If it's just your personal observation about the other poster, don't post it.
In short: Discuss the thread topic, not the other people commenting on the thread topic.
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