how do mods in this sub exchange etc to get any type of traction or conversation in this sub when they delete every comment?

We don't.

This is not primarily a subreddit for discussion or conversation, outside of themed threads; it a subreddit to provide answers to historical questions.

How do you expect anyone to come to this sub when there’s tons of fantastic questions but no conversation because everything is removed?

This subreddit has 936,565 subscribers as of the time I'm writing this, who are here because we hold the subreddit to a high standard. The people who spend hours, days or longer writing answers here do so because they know they will be read, not driven into irrelevance by hordes of Redditors upvoting half-remembered anecdotes.

That said, we understand that this experience is not for everyone. The great news is that you have literally the entire rest of the internet to read, including r/history and r/askhistory.

Thanks!

How do you expect anyone to come to this sub when there’s tons of fantastic questions but no conversation because everything is removed?

I have good news for you my fellow reader friend! Let me introduce you to the magically magnificent Sunday Digest!

As /u/schooltiger so accurately pointed out, discussion is not the point of this subreddit. The point is getting a factual, accurate answer to those burning history questions. Answers like that take some time to write, but when they are finished they are fantastic! There's a reason almost a million people subscribe and stick around here.

The Digest is a great collection of threads every week, and really shows the kind of quality you'll find the community here wants and looks forward to. It also proves that the sub isn't the barren graveyard of comment sections you might think. In fact some of the best threads lead to huge comment chains of fun and enjoyable information.

Shit. The subject is supposed to be “expect to get” not “exchange etc”. I’m on mobile on a plane.