User want material that is :

• newly published, and
• classified using a hierarchy of methods.

Lemmy has :

• communities
• post
• comments and
• votes

which constitutes such a hierarchy of classification and engagement tools.

Notwithstanding the following :
Despicable//illegal posts should absolutely be deleted. Same from likely comments. But aside from that …

Features creating user disengagement and disinterest :

Arbitrary deletions :
Since not following communities rules results in posts being deleted. Since this includes active conversation inside such posts. Since such community rules are quite arbitrary and difficult to judge by moderators. … There has to be a better way than deleting such posts in such circumstances.

Design proposal :

Post unlinking // relinking :
A better design would allow moderator’s action (or even bad enough vote totals) to unlink an off-topic-post from a community without deleting it from the instance (site).

Multi-linking of posts :
Better yet, a single post could be simultaneously linked to many communities even across many instances while maintaining one single global space of conversations.

Automatic anti-duplication
Creating duplicates of a post should be prevented automatically … what should be prevented is the creation of new post linking to the same web page (same URL) as an already existing post does … unless maybe with special permissions or if made after a long enough elapsed time.

New design’s benefits :
This should result in a better user experience by grouping all discussions from one topic inside a unique post … not dividing into multiple concurrent discussions, almost simultaneously, inside different (( posts // communities // instances )) what is in fact a single topic.
This would also provide peace of mind against arbitrary deletions.

Benefits for moderators
This would also decrease some drama (user to moderator feuds) and simplify moderator’s work.