Hmmm. What makes TE different from other forums ...?

I think it helps that we're (mostly) wimmin. I doubt it's genetic, but at some cultural level we're certainly programmed to be considerate of others. Also, wimmin are often delegated the task of writing the family letters, keeping communication lines open. And the few men who hang out here are those who feel comfortable as participants in that kind of social climate. So, mebbe we've got, on average, a pretty high level of experience at expressing ourselves, including in writing, with some subtlety and diplomacy.

That may be why we're overall pretty mature about the niceties of internet interactions. Communicating with the speed of the Internet but with the limitations of the written-only word can be tetchy at times. F'rinstance irony, including self-irony, is hard to convey. So somebody might try to poke fun at themselves and be taken as having insulted somebody else. It takes mature folks to make allowances and apologies and move on. I've seen that done here on several occasions.

I think it also helps that we feel safe making face2face contact with one another when the opportunity arises. Some here have started out as strangers, then actually met, mebbe done rides together, partied ... generally had fun Some who bat for the women's team have even fallen in love And yet, the women's team gets along pretty well with the mixed team, and vice versa. As my sister says, it's all cool. Once we get to a certain level of trust, where "it's all cool" is taken as a basic premise, most wrinkles in the social fabric can be ironed out when they occasionally arise.