Well, there is a big difference between poking around in CSS and creating a design for the actual site. On the other hand basic programming is not really complicated especially if you are technically inclined and are willing to learn. You'll probably have to leave the heavy lifting sooner or later to experienced developers but I would recommend learning to do some code yourselves. Getting developers this early on will usually cost you either money (which you might not have) or a ton of equity.

I would personally recommend picking up some Python and maybe Pylons and start hacking some webapps (others might recommend Ruby and Rails, etc). How else are you going to build a demo from the 15k that YC provides?

heh well i mean YC is only one avenue for success, and it certainly doesn't make sense to tailor our plans and/or our idea for YC. if we're the right fit for each other then it will work out,and if not there is no sense in forcing the issue. we don't have a demo yet simply because we haven't felt as if we'd done enough research and thought enough about what we're doing and for whom until this point.

it's pretty serendipitous that we stumbled upon YC about 4 days before the application deadline :)

we're working with a family friend who has had quite a bit of success in the SV startup world, and he seems fairly convinced he can introduce us to a friend who can do some work for us as a favor, and a perhaps a bit of money or equity (certainly not founder status).

furthermore, our concept doesn't really require any intense programming in the first iterations. it won't be until we actually prove the concept (via a barebones site) that we will need 'heavy hitters' to take things further, and by that time we feel like we will have acquired at least some funding based upon how well things have been progressing thus far.

You have a good point. I was trying to offer advice regarding applying to YC, but certainly there are other avenues and if you can find someone to do a prototype without too much cash or equity then you're set. I imagine it might be hard to recognize great developers when you get around to hiring, but if you can get someone you trust to help out it might work out. Good luck!

i mean, yea, we definitely have out work cut out for us.

best of luck to you as well :)

I do UI, design, HTML, and CSS. I can code and I've done a lot of work with LAMP setups, but I don't really consider myself much of a hacker (mostly because I don't really love hacking as much as I do design, and I'm definitely not as good at it).

Understanding PHP/MySQL is nice because it allows me to communicate with hackers, but I wouldn't know where to start with anything serious like writing an API.

Hrm. So what would you do for the 3 months? Do you have the team you need to build what you want to build?

FWIW, I'm not a hacker, either. UX, XHTML, CSS, JS, SEO and other assorted acronyms are my bailiwick (though I can dork around a bit with rails/PHP/etc). Of course, I've also dabbled in accounting, sales, etc.

In my experience, a solid designer can easier keep pace with 2-3 coders (it's just that much harder to code something than it is to design it)... Which means (in my book), that a non-coder had better be prepared to do other stuff in the early phase of the project (notably SEO, SMM, and public relations).

(by the way, checked out your portfolio-- nice design work!)

I'm the non-hacker (although HTML, CSS, UI, content, and the stuff outside of product is my focus) with two cofounders who are great hackers. So, I let the guys work their magic and then we all test together while I handle a lot of the user support and make critiques on the flow. I'm the guy who updates us on Battlestar Galactica and other developments in nerd lore.

You don't sound like you have enough nerd pride.

haha, my girlfriend would beg to differ

Girlfriend? That doesn't help your argument joe.

Me. but my co-founder is a coder.