I am super late to the party. I have read the post a couple times though. This last time a little more thoroughly and with an open mind. While I don't feel that great about a whole marketing campaign geared to it. We have also voted up several accounts doing smaller scale stuff (steemit car) and a photoshoot with chicks looking beautiful with steemit themed makeup that was taken with the express purpose of.... selling ourselves to ourselves.
One thing I take away on this last read is a packed software introduction. I would like steemit to become user friendly. Currently this website just doesn't do it. I could point this out to my sister, tell her all the great things we are doing..... and she would need to spend hours figuring out things she does without thinking on Facebook.
If putting together a packed software platform got past some of the hurdle of learning to cash out, markdown all the things most users have to fumble with....... That's worth $7-$9 (Didn't look too much at other packages)
That's my piece, sorry you came up against a tough crowd
That makes two of us.