

New to HN, Overloaded by Information - bloomshed

I'm an outsider to the development community.  I enjoy thinking about software and media, however, and came up with an idea that I've been working on for a year now.  I started my own LLC and began contracting with freelance developers.  As a recent applicant to the YC winter session, I'm told to participate and post on the forum to give the YC crew an idea about how I think.<p>There's a big problem though: I don't know the language of the profession well enough to contribute my input to the vast majority of content I see on the forum.  I feel like attempting to participate in a discussion in which I know %40 of what is really going on only sets me up to look woefully incompetent.<p>Any help out there for guys like me who are new to the culture of developers?
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jcroberts
First of all, WELCOME!

I don't profess to know a perfect path for you, but the basics for HN are
fairly simple, and they also apply to learning lingo and the areas in which
they are used (programming, marketing, seo, finance, ...).

0.) Read. You'll learn more by reading than posting.

1.) Be Nice (note: I'm not always nice)

2.) Answer Your Own Questions. If you try to answer your own questions, you
may or may not succeed, but at least you'll be far better prepared to both ask
better questions and better understand the answers. --You won't get much out
of an exchange unless you actually put something into it.

3.) Give Your Best Response. If you respond with an answer or even an opinion,
do the work necessary to provide supporting references. As you can see, this
is closely related to #2 in the sense of making the homework a bit easier.
I've actually seen (and even made) one-line jokes, but the person who replied
with a reference link was up-voted more than the joke itself.

4.) Remain Positive. There will always be things you don't understand being
discussed, but believe in your own ability to understand them through study
and effort.

5.) The Jokes Actually Are Funny, Even If You Don't Get Them, And Even If No
References Are Given.

6.) Respect Decisions. Some people can not or will not give specifics of their
business ventures. It's their choice.

7.) Everyone Is Busy. If you submit a story or write a comment, consider the
time and effort of the reader will spend on it. The time invested is
multiplied by the number of readers, so your contribution should have as much
merit as possible. --You will both succeed and fail at this, (I do) but the
goal is to try your best.

8.) Read the "Guidelines" [1] and the "FAQ" [2]

[1] <http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html>

[2] <http://ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html>

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charliepark
Welcome aboard.

A few things, quickly, then I need to get back to coding. ;)

It's fine to lurk a bit, or to ask questions, or to simply post links that you
think are relevant to the general developer/entrepreneur community. I think PG
et al. would rather see you asking earnest questions than being mute.

Most of the people here have strengths in either programming, business
development/marketing, or strategy/execution. You'll see "customer
development" and "lean startup" terms coming up a lot, which combine biz dev
and strategy. Some people here have design/UX chops, too, although those
topics don't come up as much. I'd suggest keeping an eye on the newest threads
(<http://news.ycombinator.com/newest>) and seeing where you can contribute
either by adding your own insights, or by asking thoughtful questions.

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bloomshed
I'm glad to see these responses, this forum moves so fast I thought I could
have been lost in the shuffle. A big thanks to both of you for taking some
time to help me out!

Each time I get into something new it's so important for me to learn the
language of that area. Sometimes it takes a while to really be able to
understand and operate within a new system.

I'll keep my eyes open and do the best I can.

