Farcaster

Not being able to post in a channel when I want to is weird.

Not having a clear path to signal interest in being able to post in that channel or "request" or "apply" feels odd.

Almost feels like I need to re-route my intended post to one I'm a member 

I don't want to have to actively campaign to be a part of a channel outside of something very easy - like requesting to join a Facebook Group with a quick message as to why.

Onchain is the new online - FID 206 -  cooprecords.xyz

I agree that it should be easier to signal that you want to join a channel, several teams are working on tools to support this flow. For now I would just cast to your home feed and maybe a mod or a member in the channel will see it and curate your cast into the channel and/or invite you as a member.