I feel like slapping myself across this face for even thinking it! How dare I compare Steemit to TSU?
But at the same time, Steemit is an investment for many of us, Whether it's time Or money. We have something invested. And it's scary.

What WAS Tsu?

Tsu was a social media platform, VERY Similar to Facebook. That had ads. Except Tsu would pay the ad revenue to the posters, Not keep it for themselves as Facebook does.

People swarmed Tsu hoping to make lots and lots of money; Many people did NOT contribute to the platform, They spammed Facebook with links, To the point, Facebook banned all TSU links. Which then people made the assumption that Facebook is "scared" of Tsu.
But the reality Facebook was sick of the spam.

Many people were disappointed with the small payouts. I found TSU long before Steemit. I was also disappointed, After all, the time posting I only made 0.01.

What was Tsu lacking?

When I compare Steemit and TSU. I see clear differences.

The TSU Community

I feel like a jerk dissing on TSU. Because of The whole idea, was smart! And they tried. But the community on TSU didn't seem very good.
You felt like everyone was on there for the money. There was a ton of random meaningless content on there. ( What do you expect for short, Facebook-like posts).
People didn't want to connect. I went on there looking for Art groups and other artists I could interact. A place where I could advertise my coloring books. It didn't have that social media feel. It felt more like a race to make money.

Steemit's Community

Steemit has a strong community, We meet up and share parties together. We add each other on Facebook. We talk And leave meaningful comments. There seems to be more discussion on Steemit overall. We are addicted, Not only for the money but because Steemit is fun!
Of course, we have people plagiarizing, Trolling and doing other crappy stuff. (I don't get why It's pointless.) But everyone has their fare share of those.

TSU Encouraged "Spamming."

TSU was spammed on Facebook so bad; Facebook banned links from them! It was funny because people started assuming that it was because "Facebook is scared of TSU." Which I don't believe that.
I'm sure Facebook is scared about their future replacement. But not of TSU.
I am starting to see more and more Steemit posts promoted on Twitter, Facebook, And I've been trying to post more on Pinterest!
No one has blocked us yet. Because the content we share, Is high quality. I've been sharing stuff on my Facebook, And gradually people are warming up to the idea of Steemit. I'm starting to get a nice amount of likes, Whereas before, People avoided my Steemit posts on Facebook All together. When we promote high-quality content, some social media sites might appreciate it. Because we are adding VALUE to the users day. The TSU Posts weren't as valuable. If we constantly post and post good stuff from Steemit, We'll get more organic growth. Of curators, Investors, and writers!
You Can Add me on Facebook If You Want

Steemit Allows You To Be "Invested"

When you earn something, and when you invest in something.... What happens?
You "value" it more. As I've gotten bigger and bigger on this platform. I feel more and more pressure to post quality content and to ensure that my followers feel appreciated. Whether it's with me replying to as many comments as I possibly can, Or if it's with my upvote.

Steemit allows you to power up, Which gives you a stake in the platform. Many of us, If Steemit grows as big as Facebook, Will be millionaires. That alone makes us change our mindset on the whole platform.
TSU didn't seem to have this same setup. You just got paid, Kind of like Youtube set up, based on ads. With TSU that may have worked, If they started the platform without payment. To get people hooked, Then added the financial benefit later.

Steemit also pays better than TSU.
I hate to talk about the financial aspect, but it's important. Because STeemit pays well, People are willing to spend hours drawing pictures, Buy custom made products with Steemit logos and host parties for Steemit.
TSU paid based on ads, Which can be small. Sure, It ads up as you get bigger and bigger. But many people are short term thinkers. So Steemit has a cool way of appealing to Short term, And longer term planners.

There Wasn't a Product For TSU

With lots of low-quality content, And people not caring, There wasn't a lot of reasons to be on TSU other than for the money.
This is why the community is so important.
The nice thing about Steemit, Is we have so many options on what we could do to keep the platform up and running if necessary.

These are just ideas, I don't necessarily agree with any of these, And I do understand that some people may leave if these things are added.

• Steemit could sell our posts, To someone else. Where they would own the rights. People could re-post these posts on their blogs, turn them into ebooks, etc. There is a ton of high-quality content on it. The point is, Steemit has products in a way! Great content and blog posts that can entertain, teach and inspire.
• We could get ads on Steemit.
  Yeah, I hate the thought of it. I love the clean interface of Steemit, But worst case scenario, We could get ads. This may never be needed, Especially because other businesses could always join Steemit and "Promote" their posts. They also could invest a lot into their account and "Power" it up to give themselves voting power.
  Which would allow them to directly reward their loyal customers? With money, Which they may later spend on that companies product.
  For example, If Your favorite pizza place made an account, had a team upvoting and writing to you. Wouldn't you be more likely to order some pizza? Hell yeah, you would! Besides seeing "_____ Pizza" in your feed constantly would put it in your subconscious and you would think of them everytime you want pizza. It's brilliant.
  

We Have An Influence On Steemit

Steemit is still in beta! We can some what dictate where Steemit is going! It's a beautiful thing. Steemit can make changes that WE like! Sure, They may not make all the changes you want. But for the most part, I feel listened to on Steemit!
I came to Steemit in June 2016, and there have been quite a few changes in the payouts, The layout, and other things.
I wanted to follow people... I got it.
I wanted to see a feed of my follower's posts... I got it!
I wanted payout to be quick... I got it!

Now add the ability to schedule posts, and "Albums" where I can sort my posts by subject.

I heard people on TSU were messaging them with ideas, And they did not listen.
It's very important for businesses to listen to their Customers/users. To keep going! Maybe I wasn't around for it, But I never heard of TSU having a beta State. They also have so many similarities with Facebook. It seems like many people who were on Facebook would also join TSU. And all the Facebook haters would also avoid TSU. Because of their similarities. So people are supposed to have two facebooks "Like" accounts. That seems overwhelming to manage for a "hobby."

Steemit Isn't A "CopyCat"

If you saw TSU, While the colors were slightly different from Facebook. It looked a lot like Facebook. The setup and everything.
Facebook seems to be going downhill, and I feel like we are going to see a shift in whats going to be the most popular social media site, (hopefully Steemit)
While I liked that TSU copied Facebooks set up, I mean I could figure out how to use it immediately. There was no learning curve. It was also kind of boring; It didn't feel new.
Steemit is still a bit complicated for new users, but they are gradually simplifying it. Which gives Steemit more potential.

Conclusion

Steemit seems to have a great shot at growing very large. While there are some roadblocks we need to get through, I have high hopes for Steemit.
We have the community that we need to make this place a massive success!
While TSU didn't quite have that.
We can learn from TSU. So we can make Steemit more successful!