I can’t agree more with your points @aggroed Smoother quicker account process is essential. And welcoming communities that are tight-nit and meaningful is another need. So supporting the communities that already exist is so obvious that I find it slightly befuddling that more whales don’t seem to see it. Any delegation made by a whale toward communities that are directly supporting newbies, facilitating engagement and dispersing value...that delegation is truly just protecting said whale’s investment. (Mayer multiple model)
For me the communities I have made the strongest connections in have been @steemitbloggers @dtubedaily and @comedyopenmic
As an admin in both #dtubedaily and #comedyopenmic I can say without a doubt we are creating meaningful engagement and aiding in steemit user retention. Without those groups I too may very well have petered out.
I do my damndest to stay out of whale drama.... but it’s time to wake up... time to realize that communities like the ones I’ve mentioned and others are the beating heart of steemit. Pumping delagaions into verifiably awesome groups is literally circulating health through the entire platform.