On the node issue: Yes, you need to either run a node yourself or connect to someone running a node in order to see the network.
Hi Sam, was your comment made in response to the issue I raised? If so, I think it's worth pointing out that you also need to run a node to connect to FreeMarket but that once you list your items there, it is no longer necessary to run a node since the listings are stored in the NXT blockchain. I am told that with OpenBazaar your node must remain online to keep your listings online because the listings are stored on the computer running the node instead of in the BTC blockchain.