I am consistently impressed by the respect on display here.

What's the secret sauce? I've never come across another online community, technical or otherwise, that can maintain this atmosphere especially as it grows. Inflated egos mixed with the detachment of keyboards and screens between you and everyone else tend towards toxic situations despite best intentions.

I've seen none of that here yet, but I have seen healthy, spirited debate with intelligent points and discussion on multiple sides. We don't go all ad hominem, the discussion is always relevant and well-articulated, and everyone seems willing to listen as well as speak.

What voodoo is this? I know the Dev.to team is pleasant as all heck, and that attitude definitely trickles downward, but that can't be the whole story. Is there a massive moderation machine at work? Have the content contributers here simply self-selected for being nice?

How can we capture and encourage this positivity to infect other useful, technical communities that are less welcoming?