OpenWebU

Another approach is to hire contractors overseas to build exactly what you'd like. Rentacoder, elance and odesk are great resources.

Much appreciated - I've done google searches, and it is a bit difficult for me to tell whether the website is sponsored by a hosting company or not.

I didn't think of that. I went to feature requests and saw lots of requests for search, so assumed there wasn't an easy way to search. But, I'll give it a whirl. Thanks.

I third it. I can't code, but I'd be happy to help design a search -- my contribution to the community.

This was validating: on self-financing, on being cheap/don't like to spend, outsourcing, holding off on getting incorporated. Yes - will definitely tell yc about it. Thanks.

Hey thanks - very practical advice - will definitely go to this forum to get feedback.

More funding does not mean they can execute. I learned that lesson at Oracle, where a team 5x larger and in competition with mine claimed they could do everything and the kitchen sink. But because they could not focus, their developers got new directives every week their code was very buggy. My team's code was focused but it worked and we had better credibility with the salespeople and customers. If you make noise, you will need to respond to it, and may get distracted. So, I'd stick to your original plan -- to launch in a week - in the grand scheme of things I don't know if being a week later makes a huge difference in winning the war (not the battle). If I remember correctly, google was not the first search engine created. BTW, congrats on being so close to public beta. :)

My brother just came back from the Hoffman Institute - an intensive 9 day seminar where they address how to have genuine and connected communications - picking up on patterns, and in a group therapy setting, reworking those patterns so you are reconnected... http://www.hoffmaninstitute.org/

I like the idea, too -- neat!

Perhaps include a field where an inquirer puts a price range of what they are willing to spend (including tax and shipping) would be helpful for you to select something a gift that the person inquiring can afford.

Hey, thanks for the advice. I got one email from someone who recognized me who said, "Are you on crack cocaine?" but he's a lawyer.

Including my friends' votes, the tally is 7 Positives and 5 Negatives. The developer is from Europe, so the longest he can stay here on a travel visa is 3 months for education and training purposes. And, by law, I can't pay him.

According to several people, I need a technical cofounder. The startup is a risk, time is money - and I have a solid working relationship with this guy. His willingness to come out here from Europe is a huge vote of confidence, so I'm veering towards yes.

I appreciate everyone's stories suggestions for the kinds of details that need to be worked out. If for some reason things go south, I'll repost here with lessons learned. Thanks again for the input.

Actually, my boyfriend turned me onto Buddhism. He grew up with it - he's from Sri Lanka. He meditates every day, so much so that when he went to SF and they wired him up with the electrodes, his brain waves were really different.

He's no wimp - He's a VP of a public tech company. He says it clears his mind, helps him make balanced decisions, and navigate company politics. Judgment is one of the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur - so that anything that helps that could be positive.

In my experience, emotional pain is as much a signal as physical pain - great you are paying attention. Research shows that sleep is an important factor in mood and overall productivity - so don't skimp on that. It also shows that friendship and social interaction is important to mood - in fact, talking about issues/being heard prevents ruminating. And, taking breaks is very important for creativity. Your emotions may be messaging a need to be a bit nicer to yourself. We all relate - hope that helps.

also, i'd like to comment is that you are doing 'market analysis' third-hand -- the products that companies offer are a combination of their opinion of what the markets need, and their own response to customers.

IMHO, true market analysis is going to the real end-customer (the customers of the hosting vendor). If it is obvious what the very they need and what they are willing to pay for, then no need to do this. But let's say as an example, the true end-customers are large IT departments. I'd look around and find someone in that IT department to interview and find them across industries, and see what they are willing to buy. Often these customers are listed as references on their website.

I did the same as thorax. Often if you say you are considering becoming a customer, they will give a one to two week free trial. You learn a lot from salespeople and their sales consultants.

You may enter this trial thinking that you will compete, but you may also learn a lot -- like info to feed into your product strategy -- in my case realizing that I'd like to outsource some components of what I'm doing and focus on what is original/unique about my idea.

me three. it is so easy to announce -- you just tell people. it is more difficult to deliver. so, sharing with a close group of friends is not only what i recommmend but also the way i plan to go, too, in deciding whether to make it public.

but, i'm with you -- it is so tempting when you work alone to get feedback. so getting feedback from people that are close as ardit points out is the way to go.