Great post - as ever I learned something :).
As a relatively new user (since the hardfurk), I found that the amount of hand-wringing about the value of Steem to be really off-putting. I get that it's bad if you put a load of money in and lost it, but it makes the platform unfriendly and too much like the real world with money worries everywhere. Platforms like Facebark and Twatter are (mostly) avoiding the real world and focusing on important matters like pictures of cats. Steem is very low on cat photos.
@impactns aim of a platform which makes the crypto-currency opaque is going to make it easier to ease people in to the platform. If you tell 'em its like earning Nectar points, green-shield stamps, or whatever then there'll be less resistance.
Is there anywhere a list of all the various Steem-powered sites, apps, etc?
There's a big list at https://steemprojects.com
Hmm... a mere 445 so far. Thanks Steve, I shall explore.