You should probably ask for the actual witnesses on https://steemit.chat/ … If they actually are there.
I only heard legends of this place called steemit.chat, but never went there myself.
There probably is some Discord-Server for this out there in the world wide webwork, too – but don't ask me which one.
If you actually do get hold of someone knowing their stuff, I'm certain they're willing to help. You may even write an up-to-date guide on creating a witness (though I think requests aren't high – you seem to need a somewhat powerful server, which cost $$$).
If Steem gets as big as we all think it will, then we will need more witnesses or it will bog down just like Bitcoin.
Be aware: There are only 21 witnesses.
The first 20 witnesses are voted here – the spot of the 21st witness is randomly selected between all others.
So the difference between 30 and 200 witnesses is relatively minor.
Thanks, I've been on there more than once, but it has been a while. I will certainly check it again.