Yes, I was confused, but now I can see:

I needed to update my user profile to include the "Chatter" forum, not the Category "Chatter". Up until that point, all my questions / comments seemed to be marked for the "black hole" of cyberspace, because I was told that I was using the wrong posting, that the posting was corrected, and then voila ( that's French for something magic and incomprehensible to the uninitiated has occured ) my text was gone -- gone forever.

But now, I have a check next to the "Chatter" forum in my personal setup and I can see my messages.

Thanks for your patience in dealing with me.