You do need a marketing person, no matter how much of a maverick extrovert you are. Marketing is not one of the high arts, but it isn't trivial, and distracts you from focusing on kicking ass. Get a marketing person.

Full disclosure: I'm far from being a marketing person. I'm in a consultancy firm working as an econometrician (that's a type of statistician common in this field). I'm the technical guy in a franz ferdinand t-shirt and dorky converse sneakers.

He can as long as he has a cofounder who isn't.

Perky social web ideas are a dime a dozen.

Since the answer is obvious and you know it, why do you ask?

I know the feeling.

In following the "shyness" thread, I often get the same feeling I did at school - it's playing the game, learning how to be popular which to me at the time was a complete waste of time. I was more interested in learning or trying to re-definine the game. The big problem with being thrust into social situations that you find awkward is you are at a complete disadvantage. Like a traveler in a foreign land you can simply miss the cues, the locals take for granted. If you are not familiar with the local customs you are going to stumble. It's almost like there needs to be some form of Hackers "etiquette-school" where you can overcome shyness and mind blindness. Where social scenarios are created from modified Jane Austen novels to be practiced to improve your social skills. To pass you have to recognise, decipher and act accordingly in tricky social situations. I partially solve this problem by taking along an "empath" (a tip from StarTrek) who I can consult with. Am I boring someone with technical stuff? Do I avoid that person because their body language is negative? Is it okay to ask this question? But this isn't good enough.

As a budding entrepreneur you need to master these social skills because as in any entrepreneurial activity, you have to some extent with engage human assets. Where I come from this is out of necessity. Like minded people clump together and socialise simply to survive, pass information and advice. Just like here but in the real world. There are advantages in "keiretsu" like activities.

Shyness is simply another hurdle to get over. You cannot let it get in the way. The real problem is in the free market there are other entrepreneurs who are not so reticent or who simply delegate this function. Viaweb hiring Schwartz Communications is one that comes to mind.

Then again, it could be a schizoid personality disorder undoing itself; it was about the age the frontal cortax finishes maturing -- that's why if you don't get schizophrenic by 17-22 you probably won't. I didn't, so schizoid features phased out.