It's near definitely the case that if you've received an e-mail notification, but then there was no new post when you clicked on the link, that someone did indeed create a thread (if on a board you subscribed to back when it was empty), or added a new comment to a thread you've posted on or are watching, but then deleted whatever it was prior to when you checked.

We never receive any type notification (either via e-mail or the red bell symbol) that threads we're subscribed to have been edited.

Yes, to re-iterate what @genplant29 said, emails are not sent on edits but I believe what is happening is people replying (which sends the email) and then they remove their reply.

I wouldn't expect that to happen as often as I get the emails, but I guess it's possible.

Is there any way to back-track them, Travis? To find out what triggered a particular email that I received? To make sure it was actually a post that was immediately deleted, not something else?

Knixon, here are a couple of thoughts. If it's a very active/popular thread, then what Travis suggested could be happening more often than you might think. (Or if it was a troll/offensive response, a MOD may have removed it before you could get there. So if the thread is prone to trolls/offensive posts, that could happen a lot.)

Also, instead of email notifications, try using the on-site notification system (the bell that appears above "Your Account") by watching the thread. (I quit using email notifications a long time ago, and now I just use the bell.)

I haven't received a bell notification lately, but as I recall, it will actually name the user who responded and the time/date of the response. You can click on the notification and it will take you to the post. Note, however, that if others have also posted since that person posted (and since your last notification), the additional posts will not be noted; but they will be there below the post you are taken to.

I've checked the "bell" a few times, but stopped when I realized it was showing me "new" posts that I'd already seen. Maybe it doesn't get updated often enough, or something.

Knixon, regarding the red bell, whenever you use it as the way to access a new post, if you don't click on "Clear" (located to the right of "View" at the red bell) after viewing the new posting activity, the bell will remain red.

That may be an immediate/short-term thing, but it can't be the long view. Otherwise the number would constantly increase, towards infinity, if you never use the bell. But the bell number for me is only at 12 now, even though it's been months since I used it. And there have been more than 12 new posts in threads I watch, just since last night.

So there must be something else that also resets/reduces the bell count. It apparently just doesn't happen often enough, whatever it is, to suit me.

If you access new posting activity via the links in notification e-mails, the red bell automatically clears (regarding those particular threads). It's only when you use the red bell as the direct way to access a newly posted comment(s) that you need to clear it, afterwards, to get the red to switch to white.

As PT mentioned, the bell goes red only once for any particular thread's most recent (since you last checked) posting activity, even if five people posted on that thread since you last accessed it. If your bell shows 12, that means 12 different threads were posted on. If you spot check each one, to make sure you've seen everything new of interest, then click on "Clear" afterwards, that'll clear the red bell and its counter.