“users need to see and be seen to gain strength and value”

Couldn’t imagine a better way of saying this point. The thing that Steemit lost is the thing that communities such as #steemleo attempt to fill — the goal of Steemleo is to create an environment where producing & engaging with high quality investment-related content is rewarding (financially, socially, emotionally, mentally, etc.)... we want to stress to new users that: you may earn rewards for your content, but that is simply a byproduct of being passionate about this community and niche.