this platform has the potential to be world changing from funding research to helping people build real world self sufficient communities to fostering the independent arts on a never before seen scale

It still worked the described way for plenty of people till last Tuesday. Yes, we had that middle-layer that's so vital for any economy.
Now I don't know. Some are continuing to post their (probably pre-produced) content. Others turned their energy into discussions about HF20. Some are still in post-HF20 lack-of-RC coma, it seems, or just unwilling to bring on content.

Being on Steemit for 13 months now this is the first HF I experienced. Maybe just that long time explains why it was handled so badly.