Probably everyone has witnessed conflict on this site or experienced it first hand. In another thread above under Friends Heal Friends last month, during the political campaign ("Have we forgotten the real purpose of this forum?") posters were reminded of the rules of behavior Dotsie has attached to this site, and seemed to want to eliminate all conflict. Is that possible, or even reasonable, when you have so many different women coming together to talk about "whatever"?

What I'm wondering now is, how does coming together on this site compare with face to face (FTF) encounters? Is conflict handled differently here than in your non-virtual life? It's been mentioned that here we have moderators and rules. Aren't there rules of behavior in the FTF world? What makes it different here? Is it _just_ that we can't see each other?

Related to that, is, if we saw each other in the FTF world, would we think "Oh, there's an interesting person I could be friends with"? Of does the anonymity of just typing make it easier to share secrets and connect deeply with others on this site?

I've read comments now that say things like: if conflict isn't handled correctly, it contributes to our feelings of separation. And another that says that conflict can make her feel unsure of herself and sort of lost.

So, here's what I want to know: is it easier to be hurt deeply on here because the passions are stronger? Or less likely because we are strangers in some ways?