I think conversations on !gnusocial would improve significantly if federated thread resolution (If someone you follow replies to a user unknown to the server, the server fetches the full thread so you can view it without leaving the UI) is implemented and enabled by default. Right now, you end up hearing only a part of the conversation, and that can impede taking part in the discussion.
Also, federation on the !fediverse can be better. We would be able to have better discussions if we could somehow unify Diaspora, Hubzilla, GNU Social, etc. and thus have access to more people. Right now, there is much fragmentation. I have people I know on Diaspora, but considering I have GNU Social, I am not feeling very motivated to set up and maintain yet another social networking account.