Interesting thing about online communities- they are like real communities. The social dynamics are similar to real life.
I somewhat disagree. The social dynamics on this message board are totally different from my real community. In the latter world I "could" say anything, no matter how outrageous it might be, and no one would dare disagree because my peers are "fake polite" and others are intimidated by my status in the community. Granted, it's possible that they might have talked about me behind my back, that action being the equivalent of a message board private message.
I put "could" in quotes because this message board has taught me to be more careful about what I say to others in real life. In contrast to my real community, in this online community even those whom I know feel no qualms about correcting me or disagreeing with me, and I have truly learned some new social skills from this. Yes, occasionally I fall back into my old habits, but for the most part I am a better person for what I have learned on this message board. I really appreciate that because everyone in my real world seems to like me better as a result.