Haven't used the site in a while and just logged in to see if I could share some invite codes but seems as if you only earn invite codes by participating in the community (I haven't commented in a few months).
I've been a member for 2 years - I still don't understand what I'm supposed to do, or how I'm supposed to do it. I know there's plenty of guides and stuff, but the whole thing leaves me ... cold. I reckon my main problem is that I hate the work that goes into promoting myself and my project (I get the impression IH assumes the two are one and the same) - I'm not a natural networker and the surgeons did a good job when they gave me my charisma bypass.
As for spam ... I've not noticed it. I got bored of other people's boast-posts early on and now mark them as read before opening them.
If you think of it as "promoting" then it feels like selling. If you find value in the things you read there, other people will probably find value in the things you're doing too. It's a conversation, not a sale. Unless of course you are just trying to sell. Then yeah, probably does feel cold.
As for spam ... I've not noticed it. I got bored of other people's boast-posts early on and now mark them as read before opening them.