When I joined a year ago steem price was 1 $ per piece. Now, a year later some things are the same, like the witness things you mentioned and of course the price of steem. Some are not. Alexa ranking is better. We have utopian-io, d.tube, d.live, steemstem, steemhunt and some other neat things. If you can afford it, yeah power up. I know I did a few times over the couple months :)

Meanwhile many quit because prices are too low. My plan is to stick and accumulate. When the prices improve and the quitters make a return and start begging for votes I will be here to taunt then ^_^