@feditips @FediGarden I'd noticed a drop off of new users and wondered if there was an issue there.

The thing is, I'm trying to prioritise the a good experience for our users over growth for growth's sake. I often turn on validation to protect the server (and it's users) from a sudden influx causing a drop in responsiveness. I feel this is a completely valid position that shouldn't be "punished" as it were.