So I've been writing down some ideas for the past few weeks all over the place. The truth is that I'm trying to brainstorm something potentially huge that could help with the main challenge (in my view) we face on Steem, USER RETENTION.

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We got 99 problems but..

On a serious note, I know I'm not alone on this particular observation. I've personally invited dozens of users to the platform, even created accounts using my own funds and it pains me to see those accounts just "existing" there, inert, with the tiny fractions of Steem I sacrificed in expectation.

Some of it is my fault, I'm sure. Maybe, I could have done a better job coaching a friend, setting the right expectations for them, as to not lose them to the hands of disappointment. But, I also think most of the enamorment was lost by the inability some feel to be part of an established community.

Communities and User Experience

Go hand in hand, and without one the other one is like pizza without cheese or cheese without pizza. In other words, pick your dish of disappointment. I've written extensively on the subject and It might not be too productive for me to pound the idea anymore today. However, I'm here to ask some questions to my fellow Steemians and see If I'm failing to consider other important aspects.

In other words, help me help you and others.

I need to know...

Just yesterday I was drawing some circles (current project requires it, I promise) with some intersecting areas, attempting to think of the right balance for implementation of a solution to our big problem. All of the sudden, Hive account@omitaylor sends me a private message asking me to pose a question on this blog.

As someone who I expect to be very much involved in the project we are attempting to launch, I tend to listen to her crazy but bright little mind, even when It flirts with chaos.

Hive account@omitaylor

write a post later asking what your readers think brand new steemians should know. Not the regular comment, network, advice. Not advice. But what they need to know.

She of course elaborated much more on the subject, but this is the meat and potatoes of today's conundrum. And because at the end I want to make sure I'm not attempting to push an idea that won't interest the masses, I think following her lead is very important.

Brand new Steemians

• What do they need to know?
• What will help most stay?
• What is the thing that frustrates new users the most?
• What can a community do for them? Can it even do something?
• How do we level the playing field? Can we even do it?

Tell me, I want to make sure I'm not failing to consider something crucial because I'm about to embark on a big project and I don't want to waste anyone's time. Honestly, that is my biggest concern on the matter. I happen to believe we are getting together not only some great minds, but also the right kind of attitudes, which to me is probably more important.

So there, the comment section of this post in an invitation to a conversation. I would love to enlist your brain into the task at hand, and hopefully together we can come up with a great solution. It may not be the only one, it may not even be the best, but if we don't try, failing is guaranteed.