Positives:
Amazing ability to up-vote and help those in need
Great opportunity for anyone to earn if they work hard even just by expressing their feelings and sharing their life honestly, such as those with illness, despair
Opportunities to make new friends
On the blockchain, private and not corporate owned!
Some amazing kind, caring souls here. :)

Negatives:
Pretty big and a lot of spam / only wanting money posts, so hard to see and find the good posts
Quality posts not seen in 7 days, but could give great value later aren't rewarded, why is there a 7 day cut off? I've voted for older posts, so was that a waste of vote?
Hard to connect to people when no 'about me information' and Introduction posts disappear down the feed.
I find the tagging confusing, seems all sorts shows up and 'AskSteem' is a separate link which isn't user friendly to use.
No way to message and chat, chat rooms can be overwhelming when you don't know anyone or how they work!

Thanks for your great post and asking these questions