However, I am hesitant to just explain my idea and post it throughout the internet in hopes of attracting people for fear that someone can just run with the idea on their own. I mean, I am just the idea guy with creativity, they're the coder, they can live without me, but I can't live without them.
How do you suggest I lure coders without exposing too much about the site's idea?
How do I convey that good pay will probably not be the case, rather that he/she will be a partner in the startup, without turning away possible applicants?
Help! I'm trying to find great musicians to create a fantastic hit album bigger than Beatles. Now where's some great guitar players? I'm a great producer.
'... However, I am hesitant to just explain my idea and post it throughout the internet in hopes of attracting people for fear that someone can just run with the idea on their own ...'
Classic founder mistake. If you own the idea (hint, the most passionate) nobody is going to try. If you can't code, well then you are behind the eight ball. I've outlined the reasons why your not getting anywhere. Try reading from others who are more articulate & experienced than myself [0].
The rest is up to you.
Reference
[0] pg, 5. Obstinacy, '18 Mistakes that kill a Startup'
If that's the case, you really have a problem. Ideas are worth next to nothing. If you did manage to get one to join you, he'd likely leave at the first excuse. Why? Because you're contributing nothing.
Find some way to be of value as the startup grows. Learn some domain knowledge about the market. Talk to potential prospects. There are many things a technical cofounder can't or doesn't want to do on his own, and if you do them, he'll have a reason to work with you. But if you're just contributing the initial idea, there's no reason for him to work with you.
The reason for saying that was to outline my fear of luring in a coder by exposing my idea, and having such a person run off with it.
It's more important to be able to move quickly once people copy your idea and stay ahead of them. That means finding a good coder, knowing a lot about the problem domain, and talking to lots of prospects.
Basically, success is all about having many good ideas, one after another. The first one just gets you in the door - it's usually wrong anyways. It can't get you in the door if you never tell anyone though.
1) Be open with your idea 2) If you're not coding, show what you are contributing
Do you have a demo? a blog? or something you can show? Build, talk create an audience and the long tail of the Internet will work for you. [0]
Not having something, anything to show is counter to what's really going on at the moment in the web where there is an avalanche of interesting things going on. You have to market yourself [0], no not market, make a statement. Here are the words I use to motivate myself here ...
'... Momentum builds on itself -- just start. Do whatever you can. Draw a user interface. Write a spec. Make something, anything, that people can see and touch and try. A prototype is worth ten thousand words. ...' [1]
More releases (code, blogs, demos), less searching. This is not a criticism, just an observation. Remember we are in a boom so lots of really interesting things are happening. You have to compete and show your stuff by releasing and listening to your audience.
Reference
[0] It also tells you if are building crap that nobody wants to read, run or download.
[1] Marc Hedland, 'Entrepreneurial Proverbs, Starting'
http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2006/03/entrepreneurial_proverbs.html