On Getting People to Work on Projects

Though I haven't made more than a couple of attempts to work with people on exciting projects, I've already noticed a few negative recurring themes. I'm not blaming these on any specific people either cause I'm just as guilty as the next guy. I've heard some of these a few times now:

• Can't, school. (totally legitimate, but doesn't apply to me)
• Can't, _insert_hobby_interest_here. (all the more power to them)
• Can't, not interesting enough problem. (then come brainstorm a better problem with me)
• Love to, then work on everything else except with me. (hasn't really happened that much, but I feel like it sometimes)
• Love to... never hear back again

Basically, what I have is a bunch of really cool and awesome people I'd like to work with. I don't care if I make money (at least for now). Even my elementary school buddy from Ohio has shown more interest in brainstorming with me than some of the people I'd like to work with. I understand school is hard. I get that work takes time. I sympathize with everyone's reasoning about everything. But when it comes down to it, there must exist SOME project which is exciting enough that you'll bump it up in terms of priorities. I don't even care if that project isn't something you want to share! I just want to see more people care or do projects for the sake of having fun. At some point, someone has to overlap with me right?

I was bitchin' to Andrew, and he gave me a great response. Something I'd like to ask people next time I want to do a project:

[00:13] Get a timeline, get that list together of people you want, go through each one, ask them for their schedules and where they see themselves in like 5 years, find out who's actually available to work on your project, poll each of them for their true interest and to see what they'd like to do, if their plans and personal interests line up with your plans, then it's a green light go
[00:13] put them in our team, get steady lines of communication with each of those that care
[00:13] with the timeline, have certain deadlines
[00:13] like, by day 40 of the launch, i will have a tentative team list of 8 or 9 people
[00:14] by month 3, I will have had an office or a code base or a proper code repository set up
[00:14] or hell, by month 4, all of the foundation will set up and true coding can be setup
[00:14] you can also have parallel timelines
[00:14] like one for business setup
[00:14] one for coding
[00:14] one for idea throwing around
[00:15] and one for, i don't know, staff development, a happy team is a strong team
[00:15] without visible goals, no one has a drive to do anything
[00:15] even if they're soft deadlines, they're better than nothing at all otherwise procrastination sets in
[00:17] I don't know if Im' relaly consoling you...
[00:17] I feel like I'm hitting you with a stick :(

As a last resort, maybe it's cause I smell bad. I'll go take a shower now :)