is the influx of new member's due to getting new toys for xmas ? never seen it this bad for newbies bitching lol.
I think it's more a case of you never saw them previously because they joined, took what they want and never logged in again. Now they have to do something it's more obvious to everyone just how much traffic and visits the site actually gets (rather than back end stats).
At the end of the day, if people want or need something strongly enough they will simply tow the line.