You'll be fine, Earl. If anything does arise, it's only words on a computer screen. I agree with Alex, making good use of reporting to the moderators, private messaging and the ignore option is the way to go. Mind you, I've just checked and I have only one name in my ignore list after all these years.
I've seen examples of heated differences of opinion taken offline into email and private messages, resolved and reported back in the thread.
In a community of thousands of registered users and what must be now some hundreds of posters, there will be a whole range of people. Those spoiling for a fight will find other fora much more to their liking - they won't hang around for long.
It is no surprise to me that I find many posters see things differently to me and have a completely different style of communication. That's the world we live in - it my job to learn how to function in that world.
If I'm feeling a bit troubled, I just move on - there are more threads that interest me than I can read and post in.
