It really seems like a pointless obstacle. The value of a site like this is in the content, which is inaccessible without handing over an email address, so nobody can tell if it's worth it. I think you would get far more participants if you made it openly viewable (and hence google-able).
So is it a policy decision to not allow browsing unless you're signed in? Or just a beta thing? Saying it's easy to register doesn't address the question of why it's necessary :)
I just launched it a week ago. So, things will surely change with time. How about something like StackOverflow? You can view everything, but to vote or answer you have to login. All this feedback is really going to help a lot! :)
I think that is a good idea, or something along those lines. I too clicked the link to the site, but when I noticed I had to register first, I came back here to check the comments rather than continuing. Showing more content before forcing a signup should gather a lot more interest. Looks nice though, and you seem very receptive to feedback, so I guess I will go sign up anyway! Good luck!
Thank you!! I would also like to add that the content would NOT be greyed out for non-registered users and it would be licensed under creative commons :)
Sorry, I accidentally downvoted you.
I wanted to say yes, this. Allow viewing of everything but to participate, you have to register.
Yeah, that's better. You at least need to offer something before asking me to trust you.
Yes. The model they have is ideal IMHO - viewing the site doesn't require a login, and then when you do sign up, it is an extremely low friction process.
Oh, I really feel bad when I try to access http://functionspace.org/topic/22 without signing in, and it redirected me to homepage to sign in! How the content of this site become crawlable to search engines, huh? I am in a doubt!