Hive/Steem Engine vs "Mainstream" Crypto Platforms

I know MANY people who haven't yet done anything with crypto...

...not even gotten a basic bitcoin wallet. Some are beginning to ask about it and/or do their own research into it now.  For those working with "mainstream" platforms like Coinbase or Uphold, the jump from learning to practical doing will be quick. 

Not so much the case for the Hive or Steem Engine sites.

Through StartEarningNow, I heard about and (dutifully) joined Hive, using 3Speak.online. I paid a small fee to be able to add creative content and was informed that 3speak.online would create (what I thought would be my) Hive account. The process seemed exactly like Steem, complete with an assortment of keys.  I even used Blocktrade to purchase a small amount of Hive, thinking the purchase would sync into my Hive Engine wallet. Was heartened to see the new Hive token balance reflected on CTPTalk (while dismayed that none of my blog-posts were there). The Hive tokens weren't credited to the 3Speak-created Hive account, nor my Hive Engine wallet though. 

I stumbled upon the need to create a new 3Speak.online account and then to sync it with the 3Speak.online-created Hive account. Only then did the newly bought Hive tokens appear in the wallet. The Hive Engine wallet however remains empty. I even attempted to deposit a very small amount of litecoin. The Hive wallet provided me with a litecoin receiving address and I made the transaction. The ($2) transaction was sent but never appeared in the wallet. 

The set up process ought not to be this difficult.