There's a lot here to discuss, but I'd like to hone in on one. You mention this:

The more quality content and the better Steem is at surfacing it, the more valuable this platform is.

Visibility on this platform is probably the third largest problem it needs to overcome, and it feeds into virtually everything else. When few see the quality content, it leads to creators giving up. Either they give up entirely and quit the platform, or they start making the vapid or quick posts because it requires less effort for the same or even better results (it's strange how that happens).

The UI "Communities" feature is supposed to help with all of this. In my attempts to find an update about it that isn't 10 months old or a part of the general announcement, I have come up with nothing. Hard Fork 20 and its changes were most recently discussed, but it won't include "Communities" because that fix isn't on the blockchain.

I hope the powers-that-be don't intend to bring hundreds of thousands of people on board with an accelerated account process without having somewhere for them to go. It would be nice for those who are here to work with Communities first, then when the flood gates open, we can help the new users figure it out.