Dear Santa,   

Here is my Christmas wish-list for Steemit. I hope in the first half of 2017 we will see the following updates/upgrades and improvements:   

1. Better Profile Pages

Updated profile pages suitable to direct first-time visitors, that highlight the author, past posts, comments, etc. For some users, their profile is their brand. Give interested parties a nice landing page to get to know them and easily access their current and past material. 

2. Ad Revenue Inclusion  

Incorporating a structure to facilitate the inclusion of some tasteful ads or endorsements. They must be controlled, reasonable, optional for the author, and not be obtrusive in any way to the readers. Perhaps a small box at the bottom of the post.
 

This will open the doors for a stronger economy as a means for ad agencies to pair advertisements with authors. This will allow an infusion of fresh advertising revenue to the system that can be shared for greater Steem earnings for authors. Make ad agencies pay for the advertisements with Steem, thereby contributing to the purpose of the tokens and adding more buyers to the market. If you wanted to showcase the blockchain innovation, then create a simple market where advertiser/authors can bid on pairings, with the deals created in digital blockchain contracts. 

3. Built-in Statistics 

Each author/member should have a nice page containing metrics for viewership, posts, followers, and interactions. Provide an easy table/metrics showing posts with their: number of views, upvotes, comments, value, etc. over time.  Should be tied to the profile page somehow. 

4. Referral System

To incentive the growth of the community, a system is needed which rewards current users who bring in others that contribute. Perhaps earning a percentage of the curation rewards for content submitted by the new users for a period of time. This would reinforce mentor-ship to help new authors create quality posts, and help them acclimate. 

5. 100k More Steemit Users  

The health and future of the network is based upon the size and activity of the community. We want another 100k of great Steemit viewers, curators, and content creators. This means we all must contribute, offer ideas, talk to others that might enjoy the platform, curate, and enjoy the experience.

Happy Holiday’s everyone!