I am looking forward to the beta platform opening up @rosemaryoneill. I just started reading the manifesto and like the clear way you describe "big social":

Big Social is a giant middleman that reaps all the rewards and rules in a totalitarian manner. Its true customers are not the content creators or consumers, but rather the advertisers and data miners who pay. While it is a very profitable model, the actual members of Big Social networks have struck a devil’s bargain, trading free usage of a platform for relinquishment of content rights and privacy.

And then your mission at Narrative:

Narrative’s mission is to change this model, to put all of its members in charge, to make content the true “king,” and to ensure that nearly all of the revenue earned by the platform is paid to its members. In short, give members true autonomy.

I am most excited about the niches! As much as I love Steemit it is frustrating to have a single feed where every post from everyone I follow gets jammed in my feed regardless of the subject. Having different, subject-oriented niches seems much cleaner and more organized. Thanks for posting this.