Yeah, in its current state, Steem/Hive is desperately unintuitive, overly complicated, and just plain user hostile. I have written about this since the very beginning, yet over the years it hasn't gotten any better.

As the blockchain space matures, it's becoming pretty clear that Layer 2 solutions will be crucial in the future. It's pretty wasteful to clog up blockchains with data which don't really see a benefit from being on the main chain / Layer 1.

PS: It's always good to hear about people being noticed and helped by Curie supported communities :)