Lemmy is worthless without users. We need people to switch from reddit to lemmy. If you get new users to belive that lemmy is not like reddit, they won't switch. Making you write an essay to join a server will get the average person thinking that joining a server is a big deal and mak the conclusion that lemmy will be fragmented and not like reddit and promptly quit making an account on any server. You seem to have a lot of faith in people being willing to understand how lemmy works but the average person will not be idealistic and only check to see if it can be a replacement for reddit. Your mindset is activley killing lemmy and I want lemmy to grow. Your asshole attitude isn't helping you make your point either.

[–] god@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago

Generic users should at first join a recommended server. Those don't require essays. If they wanna join some niche server that has "high standards" in one way or another, then they shouldn't expect the same requirements.

If you wanna promote lemmy, suggest ppl join any of the recommended servers that don't require essays. I see no incompatibility with mass adoption (what you propose) and some servers not allowing everyone to join. Just promote the ones that do allow everyone to join and don't promote any list of servers that puts the essay-requiring ones at the top cuz, as you say, that will obviously make it so very few people join.