Just a quick note for anyone interested.
I think you guys might be slightly underestimating the payout that you get when a map goes official. When Valve bought Standin and Process, I was expecting two thousand per map (going off what I heard mangy mention when they bought Yukon). It was actually seven thousand per map, a sweet fourteen right away. At the time I was super worried about having to find another job to make ends meet, and that pretty much resolved it immediately, and I could spend the next six months working on TF2 maps.
Also, stamps are actually a real thing. You might think they are just a small donation, pocket change. But actually, I made a pretty substantial sum off them immediately. When I got my first month's payment it was three thousand. The next month was two thousand, and then one thousand five hundred, back up to to two for the two city's update, and so forth. Now its down to about four hundred a month, but even so over time it was a pretty substantial amount that I've been able to live off for quite some time (not so much now, I'm having to look for work quite quickly).
So, as far as compensation goes, I don't think its so much of an issue really. Yes, you aren't being paid as much as item makers, whose work is sought after by very interested parties for a variety of reasons, but it is certainly quite a bit more than you might imagine. Now, whether or not that is equitable in terms of amount of time one spends on a map versus an item, probably not. But given Valve's strategy regarding user generated content at the time, I think its more than enough as currently stands, and unless someone comes up with an amazing way of syncing the store and community maps (something to rival the item system) its the best we can expect.
As far as what I would like to see, I think that the community map workshop is LONG OVERDUE. Getting that out ASAP is the single best thing Valve can do to improve visibility of interesting mapping projects, generating hype and buzz about what needs to be put in game and who needs to be rewarded.
Also, though I've stated differently in the past, I do think that improved communication on Valve's part about what they like, why they like it, and what they expect from people trying to get maps into the game is essential. I know that when my maps were bought I made some pretty haughty comments about "well, just do what works, I dunno" but I've come around to the idea that stronger communication, notably about what kinds of maps they are looking for at a given time would go a long way to getting Valve what they need map wise. Obviously, you don't want something super strict (MUST MAKE A 3 CP ATTACK DEFEND IN A DESERT!) and you defintely want to leave room for interesting things to happen organically, but a set of guidelines would be welcome IMO.