Moderators have zero control over how the website is designed or how it functions. We can ask for features added - and trust me I've asked for many features that would improve the functionality of the forum, improve the overall mood of the forum users, and make moderators jobs easier. Such as the ability to split threads when they derail into other conversations, so that the entire thread doesn't get lost and the side topics can become their own threads - a feature that all the other forums I've been to have had for as long as I can remember - and several other features that everyone would benefit from. I don't know if it will ever happen - I don't get feedback on it.

I can't control how posts are deleted. When I'm told to delete a post I delete that post. How the forum software handles deleted posts is not up to me. It's not currently possible to leave a placeholder for deleted posts. The only way that would be possible now would be to delete the text of the post, and replace it with a notice. That makes it impossible to investigate at a later time if needed, so we don't do it that way. It's been so long now that I don't remember if there ever was a delete notice left in place. If it actually stated whether a post was deleted or not. I don't think it does now but my screen looks a bit different than your screens. I see more stuff than you do, more info. So I really don't remember what the non-moderator, average user screen looks like. Some people tend to think their posts are the only ones getting deleted and that's not true. When a post gets deleted, responses to that post also get deleted. Or at least they're supposed to. We don't catch everything. And no, I'm not going to go against admin when they tell me to delete a post just because I don't think it should be deleted. Sorry if that upsets you. You don't pay me. They do. I don't intentionally single out anybody. If you think you're being singled out then maybe you need to reconsider your behavior in the forum.

I don't always PM people when their posts get deleted, (especially when it's someone I always catch attitude from when I do PM them anyway), but it's been quite a while since I deleted much of anything, or locked or deleted any threads, so I haven't thought much about it lately. And again, just because something gets deleted doesn't mean it was me that did it. There's an entire staff of coords, mods and admin here, and each one of them will at times delete something, especially admin if they feel they need to. Most of the time issues are handled as a team so that we aren't accused of singling anybody out and no personal grudges are being dished out. 

Some people here are regarded as trolls by other members and I get PMs about those members regularly - some PMs come from people who don't even participate in the forum but they do read a lot of the threads and are familiar with those members and their behaviors on other sites. It's all information I take into consideration when I'm dealing with a particular member or issue. It doesn't mean I'm going to target that person, but it does help me to get a better sense of what kind of person they are and what to expect when I do have to deal with them. 

Every post has an arrow at the bottom right corner that takes you back to the top of the thread. If there were just one arrow at the bottom then you would have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to get to it. This way it can be reached from each post. It makes more sense that way and is more compatible across multiple browsers and OS's. A floating arrow would not be as universal. The 'Top of Forum' button takes you back to the main index of the Poser forum.