Your post is quite spot on and well said. It's better to do 'one thing' really well than many things 'so-so.' While a good chunk of the recent and soon to be finished pieces of development were going to be needed regardless (avatar, notifications, editor upgrade, etc..) I'm very much with you that Steemit seems to be trying to go in way to many directions for it's focus.

While it's true that the blogging platform was the first public facing side of the Steem blockchain, it was never meant to be the end-all by itself. Even @ned has spoke of all the branches to off shoot from the blockchain itself.

Even though it can and probably will get diluted with massive growth, right now the CORE identity of this place is the community and how people deal with each other. From the beginning @dantheman (as I've interpreted things) saw this place as a way to break the current paradigm where we are dependent on governments and other entities that we've always seen as the power holders. Here we are able to brand ourselves, our skills and whatever else we bring to the table...ideally being able connect what we find as our personal 'value' with those that view those traits, writing, products, views, etc. also as valuable. This truly is an experimental society to see how people act and interact in what's supposed to be an open, uninhibited society. Just like in business, they quickly adopt new methods once they see they work and massively outperform. When McDonald's started selling their meals by number (vs ala carte ordering of a burger, fries and/or drink) their revenue went through the roof...it took all the other major chains just a few months to adopt this. Steemit can be that way of PROVING it's a better method. We just need those passionate and caring people (which is my preferred target audience.)

In my opinion, the current best pitch is the society we've created here! Come to Steemit to find and present yourself, to grow, learn and progress...not only as an individual but also as a society as a whole. On a very real level we are learning how to break the current paradigm many of us (non-crypto people in particular) have never really seen outside of and how to actually find and create the new one.

This is by no means always easy or pleasant, but growth and progress into something new rarely is all sunshine and rainbows. I can't speak for everybody, but I'm here because I want to see the current powers that be be forced to acknowledge that their out dated methods really don't work any longer. I want to be a part of helping to form this new path...on Steemit.

I'll acknowledge the difficulty in making this the pitch when there are so many other communities out there that can easily proclaim the same thing. But having the economic backbone of the blockchain behind this does really make this place stand apart (especially until competitors actually get off the ground.) We have so many non-crypto, non-tech success stories at our disposal here...they are what we should highlight. Show groceries being bought, show people able to find the drive and support they didn't have before to truly search their creative side and share it, show those who have learned to enhance there previously existing preferred areas or completely new ones. Where else could I pick the brain of a passionate economist, scientist, trader, etc. where I truly felt they cared about satiating some of my curiosity. The money helps up get things done or ease or day to day lives (since the peak times of $4 steem in particular) but it's the people that for many of us that make it feel worthwhile.

Sry for the wall of text...this is something I'm rather passionate about.