[dkersten]

Here's what I posted to a similar question a few days ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3703195

Bottom line is, most people agree that ideas are cheap and that its incredibly rare that keeping them to yourself is worth it, especially as you won't be able to get input from people in your target market and won't be able to talk to potential customers and early adopters. This will cripple market validation and early adaptation to your customers needs. Few successful ideas stay static.

[Eurofooty]

Agreed. I think I simply have to take the plunge and "trust" someone capable.

[dkersten]

I know how hard it can be to share an idea you really believe in - even though I know better, it still sometimes happens to me.

Ironically, the ideas I thought had the biggest need for secrecy are also the ones that others did actually do too, completely independently from me. You may think that it was a good thing I kept them secret, or these other people would have been able to work on the same idea even quicker, but I now firmly believe the opposite to be true: if I had shared the idea and talked to people, I could have got advice or even help to make my version better or complete it faster. The other people were going to make their version regardless, so I may as well get as much help and advice as possible, right? Plus if I have my idea out in the public, it could prove valuable as prior art should the other people attempt to patent their version, while having kept the idea secret, I'm now completely at their mercy.

Also, people not already invested in an idea (usually because they didn't come up with it themselves) are very unlikely to steal it. Even if they do, you just need to make sure you can adapt to the market needs. I've heard stories of startup ideas being copied, but the copies not being able to adapt quickly enough to the market because the people who copied them don't have the same drive and vision as the people who had the idea in the first place.