(Warning, text wall below, it really is difficult fo me to be brief while writing in English since is not my native language lol)
IMO Steem & Hive are no longer targetting the same audience, before the split for a big chunk of the Steem userbase Decentralization was not of paramount importance. Also, centralized networks are not void of value (we might look at traditional social media and confirm that). So, I think that we need to define more clearly what is the target audience of Hive... because if it still is to onboard the masses, we need to realize what the average Joe wants if Steem and Hive will compete for this goal, the platform that successfully provides what the average user want will be the one on top.
I really like the challenge of building this place without being finger pointed by a big centralized brother, it will me more valuable if we end up succeeding at the end of the day. Thus I think that it's wiser for Witnesses/developers and Big players to work on a common road map and organize the milestones that we allow us to reach the level we want. Not only on a tech level, but also on new users rates, user retention rates, advertisement rates, branding, and so on.
Why I point out this to big players and witnesses/developers? well because decentralization is a stage by stage process and we have what can be thought as a decentralized council that is de facto dictating were this place is heading to... for instance, the defensive rally we had on Steem proved not only how a huge chunk of the community is willing to defend this place, it also served as a fire test for the leadership of some of the key players and it proved to be a successful model to get things moving... it should not be only used as an emergency tool it could also become and engine that drives us forward.
Changing subjects a little bit, I noticed your interest in Anime/Games, there's a great target for our platform... For instance, I have noticed how many players a 300$-1000$ tournament of Age of Empire gathers on Youtube... we already have some tools to make those things here as well... There are millions of Anime fans who expend hundreds of $ just to get some premium content of the series they love... Can we reach one of these guys and use some funds to give him an incentive to create unique content for Hive? It could work as a specialized front end that only allows users with a certain amount of HP to access the chapters... there are tons of other ways for our platform to thrive... but it requires the guys with big pockets or guys whose opinions are listened in this Hive to actually making the potential of this place into a reality.
I still have been unable to find some time to participate more on this place, most of my time is taken away by my job, my kid and other responsibilities with my family, but I really like this platform and it would be awesome to watch it unleash the potential it has.
Sorry for the never-ending comment, kind regards.