Great thoughts here @lovejoy!

SteemFest is always a great example of the potential of this platform. I struggle to think of anything else that would cause people to travel thousands of miles outside of their comfort zones, shed their anonymity, and hang out with people they've never met face-to-face.

I attended and presented at SteemFests 1&2. Meeting and spending time with so many like minded people was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and was life-changing. I think that communities will help to tap into that same excitement and kinship, 24/7.

I'm very excited to see what this next year brings. I think your mention of censorship-resistant news would be something very important to focus on.

Personally, in this next year I'd like to see a coordinated effort to attract big names to the platform. I'm going to be using my resource credits to create Steemit accounts for news outlets, established publications, and celebrities that I think would bring value and visibility to the platform. I created a @kindnessdiaries account for Leon Logothetis a few days ago and an @mprnews account and gifted it to them this morning!

Cheers, my friend!