There is a big misconception about how Steem works. A large part of is our own fault. Or, perhaps I should say, the fault of those who feel the need to market Steem on Facebook and YouTube as a get rich quick scheme. The basic message is to come to Steem, put up a post, and the money starts flowing in.
Of course, this is completely untrue. The experience that most have is nothing like this. It is not uncommon to go weeks without making anything on a post. Posting content is only one part of the equation. Having content seen by those with voting power while also establishing a network of followers is another matter altogether.
This is what is missed by the masses who arrive here.
I do not know if the conversion rate for Steem is actually any worse than anything else out there. With 1M accounts and 50K average active in terms of transacting per day, that is about 5%. It sounds pretty poor to me but it could be at the bottom end of what happens online. Personally, I know I signed up for a ton of site never to return. There were a many places that I entered an email and even verified an account, only to move on. Did I do this 20 times for each one I utilize? Probably.
However it ranks, it is the situation as it is at the moment.
This is going to change in the future as people arrive on the Steem blockchain because there is an application they prefer to use. The idea of riches is what is in the mind of many of us when we arrive here. It is normal since we are very early in a game that promises to explode over the next couple years. People who get into things early tend to fare better in the long run. This is something that most all of us are aware of.
Earning STEEM takes effort; a lot of effort. This is something that few are willing to do in my observation. It seems that, with each drop in the price of STEEM, the activity on here goes down. This is actually opposite of what should happen. When coins are worth less, you would think people increase their activity to earn more (in terms of USD). Nevertheless, people let their emotions get the better of them. I know it is easy to get down. That is why this is only for the people who truly want it.
I wrote some time back about being dedicated to the Steem blockchain. This is an ecosystem that everyone with at least 1 SP is a stakeholder in. We all have a reason to see Steem succeed.
Steem requires flexibility. It is a living organism that is continually changing over time. Users need to be willing to adapt. Expecting things to be a certain way or how it was a year ago is not rational. Steem is constantly developing.
We talk a great deal about SMTs. There are a few projects that are starting to appear which already stated they will use this protocol to create a token on this blockchain. The developers see the value of the Steem community and what this blockchain has to offer. It is up to the user base to take advantage of that opportunity.
Everyone wants to be a Steem Whale or Orca. These are the ones with the most influence. The sad truth is that, for most of us, those days are gone. Unless one has a nice chunk of money to buy a large amount of STEEM, the chance of growing an account organically to those levels in SP is not great. STEEM simply is getting to hard to earn.
There is an opportunity for newer people to position themselves in areas of influence. This is with the SMTs we see developing. There are a few that are already offering tokens for different ways of participation. By interacting with those platforms now, one acquires more of the token than will be offered down the road. Just like we are complaining now how much harder it is to acquire STEEM, I can see the day when the same holds true for 
The question is are you taking advantage of that?
Of course, not everyone wants influence so, from that perspective, it might not be something worthy of pursuing. However, for the rest of us who do want to have a say in how things operate on this blockchain and participate in the potential rewards, I believe it is a worthy approach.
The Steem ecosystem will only grow because of the efforts all of us put into it. Those who want to simply show up and take are going to find difficulty. It is possible to benefit without giving much although I would say that is a rarity. Most are going to have to bring something to the table, either money, a following from elsewhere, or the effort to create said following.
That said, I feel the payoff will be worth it for people.
Are you willing to do what it takes?
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