Whereas I think it is awesome that all these steps have been taken to improve the account creation and resource allocation process, this phrase is the one that stands out for me:
Which cryptocurrency do you think they will prefer to use when they are buying food for $1? One that may take 1-5% or a fixed fee or one that only costs "imaginary" bandwidth to use?
Even though the answer is a no-brainer, it seems top me that we are falling ever further behind in the functional application to reaching that situation. What I mean is, I keep seeing updates about the improved infrastructure and news about new apps and SMTs... but I can't recall seeing anything that talks about an effort to make Steem more useful/appealing/user-friendly at the retail street level.
One of the reasons I was really excited about the recent NetCoins vote... and Steem's subsquent win... was precisely that seemed like it could remove some of the convoluted layers that previously have been a major barrier to entry here: When the answer to the question "How do I get/use Steem?" requires a 1500-word essay and several days to explain... you've already LOST before you even started. The expectation of the average person on the street (including that guy who wants to spend 1.00 Steem on food) is that you tap "install" on your phone and 2 minutes later you are USING an easy and intuitive system.
In other words, what good is a 3-second transaction speed and no fees if it's all but impossible to use in the real world?
One of our biggest issues here — which everyone from Steemit, Inc. and down seemingly sweeps under the rug — isn't about apps, SMTs, communities or the price of Steem... but about how we leverage this amazing creation into some functional. Because when it is suddenly the hottest thing going... at the retail level... then everyone will want to be part of it, the the price of Steem will automatically start ratcheting up.
Of course, what do I know about it? I'm just a little black cat...
=^..^=