Real time notifications would be good!
I think if Steemit does not implement it, someone else might. There is already steemle and steemd and steemdollar websites, so maybe someone will do notifications. I've had experience with making notification apps for social networks so maybe I'll do it! Kinda busy but who know! Great idea!
Do you mean copy cat websites?
The steem blockchain is like a database. Different websites can read and write that data. Steemit is just one website that accesses the steem database. The others do that too. So there are ways to add features that steemit has not yet added, on other websites a person could create. As an example of programming code that can access the steem blockchain/database, see http://piston.readthedocs.io/en/develop/lib.html I don't know if you program or not, but anyone can come up with cool new ways to access the blockchain data and make their own websites to present that data, for example by making a site that shows replies and makes a sound or something, whenever a new one comes in.
ahh ok, I just thought someone made a copycat website with the same purpose as this.
yes that's right anyone can any number of sites or mobile apps using the blockchain/database. Those might as well be better looking than steemit.com itself. I too intend to spend some coding some thing. let see how much effort it takes.