Sure I don't have problems with any kind of reputation that's embedded in the blockchain itself. I just don't want steemit.com to become a distinct entry point to the chain in any way. Like, if it didn't show content written to the chain by any other means, that would be bad.

Once a decent reputation system is in place, account creation shouldn't be a problem. Even with POW mining, you can't create accounts at a faster rate than users would flag them.