I think that you're right lol we have been pounded for a while and people are simply flat and indifferent to crypto news I can see it on YouTube too, the following and engagement on crypto content is so subdued but this is when the real work is done.

I think the first versions of steem were just a way to distribute and steem and prove various use cases and we were the test dummies but now with SMT's we're pivoting into something more sustainable, more practical a backbone for others to build dapps on

The RC pool and SMT's are great products, once live it all be up to steemit inc to start getting businesses to look at it as an option over say building on ETH or EOS or migrating existing centralised databases onto the STEEM blockchain and offering businesses a lower operating costs and better-scaling solutions.

WIll be interesting to see how they plan to use these tools to acquire new business and drive funds into the ecosystem. General-purpose blockchains often try to be a jack of all trades when I feel they should just be a home for others to build the various funnels and sinks needed to run an ecosystem and support those who do so.