The Referral program needs to be fixed for sure.
Personally, I prefer to get paid in BTS, then I can spend it on whatever I want on our DEx.
Also, centralized exchanges are more apt to support BTS, before they will support an illiquid smartcoin.
If everyone could start making easy money by posting about Bitshares and getting people signed up, I think you would start to see the BTS price going up as money starts to flow in.
Bitshares needs marketing more than anything right now, as the masses don't even know that we even exist yet. Give Joe Sixpack an easy way to make money and we do not need a Marketing Department or "Worker" for such a job. Free advertising is a win-win for all of us. Get paid to post!