Ask HN: How to find a co-founder online?
The approach that works for me right now is to explore ideas (including ambitious ones), launch quick-and-dirty MVPs, and see what sticks. I do this approximately full time, albeit not on a typical work schedule.
In the process, I'd like to meet and collaborate with potential co-founders. I believe that passed a certain threshold of competence, the relationship you have with a co-founder is a lot more important than the co-founder itself: might as well build some solid relationships now for when the big opportunity comes knocking. In fact, I just realized that the term "co-founder" might not be appropriate here. Just like you don't go out meeting women and telling them you are looking for a wife, the word I should be using is "people that want to build MVPs and have a strong interest in startups", but it would be a bit long to type.
That being said, here are some problems I have encountered with regards to online interactions:
1) It's hard to judge one's personality (emotional stability, honesty, trustworthiness, maturity, etc.) without the cues one would get from offline interactions (i.e. nonverbal cues).
2) It's hard to judge one's level of interest and commitment without the costs involved in real life interactions. A two hour face to face meeting is much more costly than a two hour online conversation.
3) I admit I'm susceptible to some kind of "dating site" bias. I can't help thinking to myself: "If this person is trying to meet a co-founder online, they must be desperate and most likely for the bad reasons." Yet, I am in this exact position and don't consider myself to be an undesirable co-founder (I'm probably biased here as well, hopefully not!).
So, back to the original question.
What are ways to find potential co-founders online? How to avoid the above pitfalls? What are the key questions to ask a potential co-founder? How to quickly gauge someone's level of interest/commitment?
Try to keep your advice as actionable as possible.