I was on Tsu before (along with @uwelang and some other Steemians). That paid users via ads, but ran out of money. I made a couple of hundred dollars there. One of my friends there @the-bitcoin-dood suggested I try Steemit. I was reluctant at as I wanted to take a break from such things, but when I read about it I was intrigued. I could see that it has massive potential. The freedom and lack of ads made it much more sustainable. I really think it could be world-changing in time. A lot of people are just too suspicious of anything that promises to pay, especially if they don't understand the technology. I think we have proved it can work. I've bought real things with what I have earned here (a guitar and a trip to Steemfest). What more proof do they need?
There are still issues with abuse of the system, but I think the community will deal with them.