I like STEEMIT. I like the concept. Not so sold on the execution.
What's the problem?
Ok..leaving aside the issue of payouts which has been addressed by other posts, we need to ensure that the very first experience by the potential user is one that empathises with him/her and makes the process of joining and participating as painless and seamless as possible.
The user experience needs to be polished up a little. I know it's in Beta but it needs to move beyond what looks and feels like an out of the box configuration to something which looks a little friendlier and user focused.
What do I mean by friendly? Well ...have you ever tried to join a chatroom with lots of users already on it?
It's difficult trying to 'get your foot in the door' and become part of the conversation. You feel like the new kid for the longest time and unsure of the etiquette required and any hints and tips which might make your life much easier.
There's nothing more daunting than knowing you have to step through a minefield of faux pas before you'll get to feel more comfortable AND you will be taken more seriously by the community you're trying to join.
To this end I propose the following:
1. As part of the account creation process the user should be at least sent links which address the issues of basic navigation of STEEMIT, dos and donts and hints and tips they may find useful as a matter of course.
2. The home screen should NOT be a running display of EVERY newly generated post, instead it should be configurable so that only new blogs, comments or replies from your favourite Steemians are given prominence, this will add to the feeling of belonging to your very own STEEMIT family.
Obviously the option to view anything new, hot and trending as they are now will be made available via links down the side of the page to allow exploration beyond your group.
For newbies they should automatically get added to a 'newbie group' where their profile info will be displayed together with interests for a set period of time before it's aged out by newer joiners. This can allow established members to see who's new and welcome them aboard with invitations to their various groups perhaps?
OR...
For the more socially confident newbie they can generate an introduction via the newbie page to any groups that catch their eye.
I think we're missing the community feel at the moment and to expect all of us to feel like we belong to one big blog family is unrealistic.
We're tribal by nature and I think many of us will find it easier to become members of groups with our specific interests at heart. It'll also cement STEEMIT as a great facilitator for this feeling of belonging which will instill a deep rooted loyalty and affection from its members which in the long run, can only be a good thing.
What do you think? Am I way off base here or do you think I have the germ of a good idea to take STEEMIT beyond Beta?