More users can only be a good thing - though it will, undoubtedly, bring in scammers and hackers too - there's only so much that lengthening the sign-up process can do about that. I think it took a day or two for Steemit to approve my account in December (just before Christmas) - although instant approval would have been nice, I wasn't overly discouraged or put off by the wait.
Several weeks would be too long though - many will give up and go elsewhere in that time, and I've seen that there are competitors for Steemit out there.
I think Steemit is perfect for people like myself, artists and would-be bloggers who like to produce content, but dislike huge amounts of marketing (yet can't help but comment on other posts - like on Facebook.) More users means more investment and more reward for everyone.
Now, to get my son (also a photographer) to sign up!
Thanks for the great article.
