Moderating new users more carefully would surely be more respectful than disallowing replies in the regular threads.

Having to make 5 filler posts first definitely puts a dumper on the initial impulse to contribute. Maybe that initial impulse will return once I'm approved. Will it still be 'initial impulse' then? Time will tell if there's even an impulse.

One thing is sure, many relevant BTC related topics have already been discussed, so a few searches through the vast archive pre-empted the need to post at all.