@dansup It's the classic "good problem to have but still a problem." With the growth rates of pixelfed.social and Pixelfed in general -- as well as Loops -- I can certainly see why you're feeling like you're in over your head.
So my advice in general is to prioritize safety and moderation even if it means doing less. Defer UX improvements and maybe even onboarding until you've made progress on safety. Close registration on pixelfed.social until you have a mod team in place and a path to paying them that makes it sustainable. Like I said in another thread, the opportunity won't go away.