BuddyPress to WordPress Association: "activate" and "register"

Should I be doing this? The first time I installed the theme I think I associated “activate” (can’t remember to which theme page) and it became a process where the user registered, then awaited approval from me, then they logged in and clicked the “request to join” clan button on the clan page (or something like that). Was that because of the association I made? Do you recommend doing that?

Same with register…do we associate that?

Bit confused about those 2 things. Thanks!