I know what it’s like to depend on the food bank. The ones in my area suck, but it’s something. These people now have nothing.

I agree. I changed my mind about a lot of things in my 30s. My views on politics, religion, and social issues all changed.

It would help to change the nomenclature. Joining a Facebook “group” makes sense to anybody. Change insider jargon like “instance” to seeker-friendly verbiage like “village.”

I think changing the verbiage from “server” to “village” or “herd” or “neighborhood,” or just something more familiar to the non-techie, combined with your proposal of displaying a full welcome feed of suggested material would go a long way to improving retention and marketability. Other fediverse portals can learn this lesson too.