The Idea that you need, or even want "effortless" onboarding seems alien and inappropriate to me, at least if you're looking to create a great utility.
Zero challenge might seem great, if your only goal is growth, but it's also proof that you have zero standards.
A huge problem IRL, is that there is a total and absolute mix of "Net Givers" and "Net Takers", causing the entire game to become sorta zero sum on some levels.
I love the idea of being MUCH more confident in the product that you've created, and creating and maintaining some level of challenge, so that the people IN the actual network, could be said to be a "Critical Mass"
Unfortunately, the beneficial subtleties of any system are often not overly apparent at the outset. We learn mostly by our experiences. The problem with effortless on boarding we have a roadblock that discourages people from follow through. Also, if a system has a built in obstruction to onboarding it demonstrates an inability to function effectively and an inability to scale up with demand. A truly scalable system should have no critical mass. At critical mass things by definition will slow down. The process speeds for Steem the platform are very high. Butt without ‘Velocity’... think of owning a Lamborghini with a one gallon fuel tank.