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with communities they could really take off if done right imho

Yes I agree for communities, but on-boarding newbies is still an issue with Steemit. People want instant sign ups.

Yeah there are some Catch 22's......people want privacy and not KYC which would speed up some of the instant stuff and the learning curve is very steep for many. I'd given up on most of this due to the human components because to onboard 'masses' they can't be welcomed by organized crews of infighting. then again nobody wants any rules or ethics standards of conduct and think we all will just govern ourselves so, it is what it is
Communities because of the well designed mute features and speed vs. tribes which is slow as shit on a lot of stuff at times imho..... may be the ticket
time will tell