Then decentralize and start planning. The internet was built on the back of thousands and thousands of volunteers contributing their time. Later, companies dealt with challenges like email spam because the protocols were open and buisenesses could build on it.
Why still wait for one central entity. In between the lines... Ned has always hinted that it’s up to the platform (community/ecosystem) but with the explicit desire that they develop the blockchain.
But that ain’t necessarily what decentralization is and if we want to avoid this situation to happen over and over (it’s actually a blessing in disguise right now, especially because it seems that Steemit Inc is now set up to deliver and deliver hard), then the community also needs a solid (dev) backbone.
We lost many users because bear market. We had many new ones last December and January. And as the markets declined they left again. There is probably more correlation to be found in crypto marketcap and “users” than because of errors/delays.
I agree with you that we need more decentralization, but that'd also require more investment, and I'm not sure if we're in a position to ask for that.
Why not keeping our feet on the ground and trying to maintain a stable network instead of again aiming for the stars, trying to grow something that doesn't even have a solid basis?
I've never really understood the common belief that success requires constant growth. In nature a species that constantly grew would even be considered diseased.
I also disagree on the assumption that everything in the crypto space needs to be tied to the BTC price. The example of SteemMonsters shows that there is no need to speculate on retention. Even though the markets are down, monsters keep growing their fanbase and stake. This is why they have a solid product that works autonomously and that is creating a constant demand, independently from the dollar price of their currency.
That's one of the reasons why I'm all in for more gamification (little shoutout to @gtg and @arcange). What does that mean? Give people reasons to keep their Steem being a currency that's even more valuable within the network of Steem than outside its borders. Give them even reasons to buy more in order to increase their position within their community: let them level up, buy secret weapons, acquire additional lives, you name it. Make social interaction become fun, engaging and lucrative.
I by myself am no developer which is why you won't see me coding an app that maps those scenarios. But I'm a creative person with ideas and time - just as hundreds of others here who'll be happy to make use of the next generation of Steem applications.