There's a lot of potential in Steemit if it can attract some quality publishers. I feel it's like a combination of Reddit (layout, upvoting etc.), Flattr (micropayment for authors of good content) and Quora (smart people).

Reddit is trying to do something similar IMHO with giving gold for quality posts. Steemit could actually be better and more fair in this. But in the end it's all about gaining some traction and that's not going to be easy!