Every time I visit this site, I see new spam, which makes this site look like an abandoned cesspool and not like the active community that it really is. Can anything be done about this? How about holding the first post from each new member for moderation before it goes live?

Yes, working on it. Various anti-spam measures are already in place but not all are being caught. More anti-spam measures coming.

In the meantime, we need members to report spam when they see it and moderators to flag members as spammers as appropriate. I personally wake up every day right now to seeing the spam and immediately flag all associated members.

I do the same as a moderator.

In addition to looking at all the new posts and discussions for topics where I can contribute my knowledge, I also scan through for spam and junk. Often there is a spam or two that needs removal. The new software has had some bumps along the road, but they're getting worked out. This morning I addressed two spammers before replying to this topic.