I feel Dreamwidth is much more accommodating than other social media if you want to take some time before you reply to things, which I really appreciate. There's no 'you have to reply now, while it's still relevant' pressure. I've never been a fan of instant messaging or other methods of online communication that demand an immediate answer; it's nice to take a moment to think.

Dreamwidth also allows you to be careful in your phrasing in a way that's tricky on, for example, Twitter, where the tight character limits don't offer much space for clarification. Of course, it's possible to be misinterpreted anywhere, but I feel it's particularly easy to be misinterpreted on Twitter.

Years ago I had an online interaction that closely mirrors the one you recount having had on EZboards, and it did a lot to shape my approach to online interactions, too.

I find it strangely reassuring to hear that other people have had similar experiences!