I've been thinking on this a bit, and I feel like the idea of "powering up to reward others" MIGHT be enough, in certain circumstances -- like that of a small-business -- IF said small-business owner is willing to accept STEEM / SBD in the same sense that many places accept AirMiles (or other loyalty program points).
- Cafe Owner? Toss a little "Check-in" QR code scanner on your counter, and you can have it programmatically upvote people that have a twitter-esque 'micro-blog' about enjoying your shitty coffee.
- Cafe-patron accumulates say, 50-STEEM eventually (or some arbitrary equivalent based on current STEEM prices), and you can redeem your STEEM for an americano or something like that.
- Cafe-Owner can then exchange accumulated STEEM for fiat / power-up / whatever else.
Though, all of this requires a shift AWAY from the idea that Steem needs to be the home of well-written blogs, concise articles, and profound discussions -- not that it ever has been.