I know of one person who found the board intimidating at first but persevered.
I know of one person who found it too aggressive and has dropped out. A shame, as I think that person was an asset to the board.
I don't know if there is any way to avoid this, however. The board is just a reflection of life in the 'real' world, and the same kind of things happen there.
Personally, I'm trying to work on a couple of simple guidelines, similar to ones I use in that pesky 'real' world.
1. If I say/post something that might be seen as critical, best to use a tone/emoticon/turn of phrase/all three! to demonstrate that this is not an out-and-out attack.
2. If I'm still afraid I may have offended someone, deal with it privately. It is much easier to build bridges and get understanding, even if not agreement, without the pressure of doing it in the public eye.
