Myers...I have had a similar experience with a womens online "support" group....not here. When I recounted the experience that was troubling me, they were SO mean! One woman called me a slut. I responded with a similar retort to her, and they all beat up on me! Now...I was communicating HERE at the same time about the same problem, and the responses, insights and support were compassionate and healing to me. Some were brutally honest here, but that was what I needed to hear...not insults! That's why PC is like no other.
I'm sorry you had the bad exp with the other group. Try not to obsess over it. (I tend to obsess also!) The nature of online groups is they can form into cliques (such as I observed with the online women's group), and the behaviors can be even more brutal with online anonymity than in real life.
Patty