Olly - November 04, 2026 14:19

I've pulled my invite-only experiment after four days. I had planned to run it for a month, but it's already clear that the costs outweigh the benefits.Spam signups dropped to almost zero, which is a win, but legit signups – which require an invite code, or an email to me asking for one – dropped sharply. People emailed me asking for a code, but many didn't sign up despite me sending one. Some people emailed for a code then turned out to be spammers! That wasn't entirely unexpected, but what I didn't expect was how friendly and legitimate their emails would be! Dammit.So, with invites on I still have daily toil, I still have spam signups getting through, and I get a drop in legit signups on top. This is not a good outcome! I have some other ideas for improving things, as well as better admin tools to make the reviewing easier, so I'll continue to chip away at this and report back. Until then, the floodgates are back open! 🌊

Commenting on Bubbles has been removed. Why? If you want to talk about this post, write to the author, use the comments on their blog if it has them, or reply with a "RE:" post on your own blog. Suggestions? feedback@bubbles.town