Thanks so much for checking this out (and Re-Steeming)!

I think the financial aspect definitely is one of the things that makes Steemit appealing; however, I believe the long-term Steemians have stuck around because of other reasons as well (such as community). I think our biggest challenge is making everyone feel as though they're part of the community when they join. (Hopefully this will be easier to accomplish with sub-communities).