Well, Steemit is on their way with SMTs now for real and they have increased their communication lately (with the progress reports for example). There's also @steem.marketing with some Steem engineers giving interviews.
Given we have a centralised authority running this show, it's disappointing that we don't have some type of meaningful method of direct contact with them. Your best option is to post and hope it's seen.
Well, @andrarchy is reading at least some comments and answering them on the Steemit's posts on @steemitblog. I'd say that is a good place if you're having something in your mind.
Also, developer activity on Steem is top 10 across the crypto projects which is quite encouraging, because they are the ones that make the magic happen.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty good about Steem. Now I'm just considering when I should buy and if I should wait, because the chart looks a bit like a falling knife in dollar value at least. The most solid strategy would be to just buy in regular intervals, because the crypto markets are hard to time anyway.
I guess I'm just too sceptical of actual change and improvements. The DAO proposal to me seems like yet another method in which selling pressure is added to the market. And votes being stake weighted just doesn't seem right at all.
I've seen some of the interviews and I honestly cannot see the actual value in them. It seems like they're missing the mark from what I've seen. Interviews on features of the blockchain that most users are fully aware about, or how they work, all highlighted at the top of your feed, which as an existing user means nothing to you.
I have to make it clear that I believe in Steem, I just do not believe in Steemit Inc. Your comment about them selling as it reduces their stake is true, but given their history of incompetence we might not even make it that far if they continue burning their money for nothing. Understandably that's where the worker proposal comes in, but again, more selling pressure, stake weighted votes. Eh. I'd have to see the improvements and be proven wrong.
I'd like that proposal to at least offer a UI change in which these issues and potential changes are directly in front of your eyes for all to see and ensure people's votes are used, rather than the Featured posts we're getting now.
Slow improvements would be fine if we weren't in such a negative spot in terms of market price and user exhaustion.