As of now, TripTie is still a one-man band. I haven’t been in a rush to saddle-up since there is simply so much for me to do (and I’ve had plenty of good, constructive criticism coming my way from multiple parties anyways). I have been talking to many potentials, though: some in New York City, some in San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco, etc. What am I looking for? I am looking for an experienced developer and partner; someone with a passion and propensity to code.

Lately, I’ve seen many posts on other weblogs about possible questions you should ask a developer to determine if he/she is a fit. Joe Kraus (of Jotspot) started it out by suggesting these three questions:

1. Do you have a blog? The basis for this question is whether they can communicate their ideas or not. “If someone has a blog, you know that they are starting to make communications and writing part of a basic set of habits.”

2. What’s your homepage? “I think the trait indicated by making your own home page is that a person is a ‘tinkerer’.”

3. Do you contribute to an open source project? “One thing you’re looking for in a great engineer is a person who is passionate about coding.”

Great questions, I think. But there was a flurry of backlash. Developers commented that they didn’t fulfill the criteria: it takes a type of person to want to write a blog; some developers couldn’t think of a better homepage than “Google”; and others just didn’t have enough time in their code-heavy schedule to participate in an open-source endeavor.

So then, what is my criteria for this developer/partner? In the end, I think that the success of TripTie will be determined largely in part by the success of the relationship between this partner and myself. In other words, we have to really get along; we have to be at ends with each other and be our only allies; bluntly honest and tactfully critical at times. He/she must have a passion for the idea behind TripTie, see the value and envision the success. He/she isn’t just a developer but a stakeholder and equal voice. He/she must have a passion and propensity for coding but also a critical eye to Interface Design. He/she must be a tinkerer and a problem solver: someone who won’t sleep until a solution is found. He/she must be flexible.

Do you fit the bill? Or do you know someone who might? We’ll see, we’ll talk. Start by sending me an e-mail.