I'm unsure of an answer, but the federated aspect means even if your server is small, others will find it if there is content they want to engage with it.
For example I'm from beehaw but have really only engaged with this server and subscribed to your channels or whatever they are called.
Pretty quiet around here...
That is definitely true. I've been mostly posting in Beehaw but should probably contribute something around here as well.
Not really tech-savvy enough to provide any meaningful suggestion. However, three options pop in my mind:
Good suggestions. The current version of Lemmy we're running does not allow a "bot checker," but the next major version should. Dunno when it will be released.
I think you're probably right about making the application process less rigorous and just policing more. Barriers to entry are not all that helpful sometimes.
General chit-chat for lib dot lgbt.
Tell us who you are; why you're here; what you're up to today; or, really, anything.