I have seen many alternative media providers join up to Steem only to not get the traction they deserve and now many have gone. There are still some around and posting away with some success. It is getting quite difficult to monetise their content due to censorship on other platforms and I still believe Steem could be their saving grace. Supporting them more as a community would really help bring their followers here where they can talk and comment in a free environment.
For me personally I am all for onboarding my own community to Steem but with my small stake it is a big risk to bring them all here to only have upvotes from me ( at the start anyway) Maybe when SMTs arrive thing can change but I really think I only have one shot at enticing them away from Facebook and it still doesn't feel like the right time.
The lack of direct messages within Steem makes it a very restrictive social media.