Steem needs to grow. I don't think there is any dispute about that.
Whether by mass marketing or niche marketing we need more people. Period.
There may well be well over a million steem accounts but we all know that a large majority do not represent real, or active, users.
Whatever the real number of currently active users is - 10,000, 30,000, 50,000 - it is way too low to make any sort of impact. Anywhere. Any time.
We need to stick one, or way better even two, zeroes on that Active User count if Steem is to really get known and get heard.
But who do need? Anyone and everyone? Can Steem be all things to all people?
Let's take a brief look at who we need to attract to the platform to really get the wheels spinning...
Investors
Investors are at the forefront of many people's minds these days.
More investors investing in steem = higher steem price = good for all >>> that's the story I am led to believe.
But how fit for purpose is Steem as an investment vehicle?
I'm no investment expert but I do feel Steem may look somewhat rough round the edges to the prudent investor.
Do we need an Investment Task Force to polish up and package up Steem as an attractive investment option?
Or can or the forthcoming Steem Business Alliance handle this?
Entrepreneurs
We need people with smart ideas to come to Steem to set up new ventures on the blockchain.
What do we need to do to attract them?
I guess that is a mix of technology and business environment.
Who makes the pitch on this?
Is that one for the Steem Business Alliance as well?
Developers
If entrepreneurs come up with project ideas they are probably going to need developers to build things.
I understand building dapps and apps on steem is not too difficult.
But we will still be competing with other blockchains that may be better known and more financially rewarding.
What do we need to do to entice developers to the steem blockchain?
I don't know the answer. Is this something Utopian can pitch in on?
had some thoughts on this a couple of weeks back in his Real Talk: The Future of Steem.
Content Creators
This is where it all started really.
We need people that write, long and short form, people that make music, that draw, that take photographs, that make music and videos.
We need content creators.
But do we need any content creators? Or do we just need good content creators?
Good, bad or indifferent of course is all subjective.
But quality must rise to the top, and we should find ways to ensure our Proof-of-Brain system truly rewards accordingly.
Perhaps too we need to keep our 7 day reward window under review and scrutiny. I know many established YouTubers who look at Steem find that a hard nut to swallow.
And we must remember, and we must remind people, that not everyone can be, will be or should be a good content creator.
That's now why we have dapps and apps like Steem Monsters, DLike and SteemHunt for example where anyone can contribute, and earn rewards, without needing to be a top notch wordsmith, an ace photographer, or an accomplished musician.
How we attract new content creators with potential and promise?
In specific niches like music and video I guess that ball has been thrown up in the for the likes of DSound and DTube to catch.
That leaves though a bit of a void in the middle. Whose job is it now to market to attract bloggers and poets, and crafters and painters...?
There's not an app for them. Or is that for Busy, and Partiko, and eSteem and Steempeak to tackle?
Consumers
And here is the big fat herd of elephants in the room.
We need consumers. Consumers of blogs, and recipes, and videos, and art and music...
We need players of games, collectors of SteemMonster cards, posters on DLike, restaurant reviewers on Tasteem.
We need lots of them, and lots of them and lots of them.
We need them to come here, enjoy themselves, make new friends, earn some steem...
And then power up that steem into SteemPower.
That's what we need.
Pretty soon. And pretty big.
We need sign up and onboarding nailed down so it can't wriggle away.
We need everyone recruiting. All the time. Everywhere.
And I wonder, wonder, wonder .... would a recruitment incentive system do the trick?
Yes I am sure people would try to game it, but we have great, great minds here who I am sure can figure that one out.
ONE MILLION ACTIVE USERS. In double time. Please.