Iam also a big believer in DPOS based architecture and that is very promising. However we are still in early stages and there could be many more companies innovating better in this space. The price rise now is purely speculative. My criticism of STEEMIT is ,its too complicated to use (from getting a reward prespective).So many tools and techniques to be aware of to make meaningful impact.
I believe it's purely a UI/UX issue. as far as the functioning of a DAO goes, I think the free-form activities here are pretty good and as easy as can be to participate. What other blockchain apps out there aren't as complicated as steemit?