The rewards shouldn't even be relevant.

I think it is hard to overlook the rewards totally. After all, what separates what is here versus elsewhere? All you say is correct but people are getting that filled on FB, Twitter and wherever else they are now.

We do have censor resistance but it seems few care about that (until they are zapped). So what is left?

The reality is we do trail in ease of use, seamlessness of operation, as well as speed. These are all drawbacks for the moment, something that will likely persist for a while across the industry.

So rewards, although I agree not the sole or even primary motivator, is a way to differentiate from the much more populated sites.