Thank you SO much for opening your heart and being completely transparent. You communicate clearly and eloquently - and this:

"A subtle suggestion, correction, or mere clarification about something a writer wrote can cause someone to take offense, perhaps because it was public and not private via a note (I use those only to point out typos 'pro bono', as others do with me).

This happened to me once, and I was completely baffled by their reaction. They had a very thin, transparent almost, skin which I could not possibly predict.

If we avoid writing anything but glowing compliments out of worry the writers might take offense then we enter the nasty realm of proactive self-censorship."

I 100% agree with this!!! I can very much see that - and those, we can't do anything about. Perhaps we take it as a learning lesson that the writer is simply one to avoid as the communication didn't jive.

Healthy and courteous disagreement leads to growth - it's the dialogue that people don't know how to do anymore and avoid. It's incredibly unhealthy -- we MUST learn to do it. And if we are going to continue and grow this "online setting" that we are spending so many hours in - oh we must!

So I think an easy way to put some guard rails is to remind folks: if your character or personality wasn't directly mentioned, they are disagreeing with a position, opinion, stance...etc...those are not personal attacks - in my view. I'm with you.

I had to learn to not take things personally. Those who are stronger sometimes need to say, "this person has thin skin" - let's walk away as they just don't get it. an apology and bow out - or just bow out. LOL...That's what I would do.

Thanks for taking the time to engage and share your analysis with me. Appreciated! Keep it coming Nikolaos!!!