I might be back to read the boards since the info is so wonderful. I read Austen-L, and am often astonished at how some on the list treat certain others I tend to stick to groups where civility is a way of life. I expect it. I think the purpose of the site and the atmosphere preclude much rudeness. Most, in fact.
Comparisons are hard to make.
Too much civility can feel cloying, though, and I don't feel that here. It can be rude in its snottiness, but you get used to it. Only snotty site I've seen. It speaks for itself. It's Dangerous to Disagree with the conventional wisdom esp.