Leading A Guild

The End

2010-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

After 12 months of posts I've decided to pack in blogging on Leading A Guild as hinted at in the Introduction. I've had a tonne of support from fellow writers and guild leaders, alongside a load of wikis plugging the site. Thank you everyone and you're always free to e-mail me if you'd like to get in touch.

Furthermore, specific plugs go to The Pink Pigtail Inn, Leet Games Blog and Greedy Goblin who have all helped me directly in one form or another. Also check out both the recommended links on the sidebar and also don't be afraid to click on the ads (>>).

Peace to all those people I sourced pictures from!

Finally, remember that simply by reading Leading A Guild you're on the way to success. Taking time out to learn management theory and then putting it into practice is the greatest way to improve. The blog will remain around so you're welcome to come back and review at any time.

Pierre Goldbloom

Being The Guild Master

2010-01-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. This is the penultimate post on Leading A Guild and I aim to articulate everything required of a guild's leader in it. This is something that's taken months to thoroughly cover, but it's always worth having a decent recap.

You

Let's start with the basics. What are you like? Mature? Cool? Calm? Confident? Great! Even if you lack one or more of these attributes, there's always room to change. What's more important is that you remain smooth and in control - especially when managing some sort of strenuous group activity. If you have a tendency to lose your rag, then don't even consider guild leading. You may be the most natural 'alpha' in the world, but if you turn hysterical at the slightest hint of a stressful situation then no one is going to put up with that.

Officers

Be confident in all the decisions you make, but don't be afraid to talk through policy changes with your officers. Surround yourself with individuals who you trust and tolerate. Remember my post on being either an administrator or leader and appoint someone to the secondary role (depending on which you think you are). Bare in mind that officers are there to take some of the weight off your shoulders and can raise morale solely on their own if they do their job/s properly. However, ambitious folks may undermine your authority if you don't live up to expectations. Keep tabs on their activities but do so moderately. Don't be an authoritarian arsehole because officers are supposed to be people you trust.

Members

Two things are important here: The peoples' respect for you and their respect for each other. Respect is acquired naturally over time by working together successfully as a team and fulfilling one's role to the fullest. Building attachments is important and means guildies will stick around even when the going gets tough. You should never abuse the network of friendship that forms between comrades. This is the ultimate faux pas and I assure you a bad reputation will rightly follow. Just do stuff with your little gang. Raid an enemy capital. Hi-jack a zeppelin. Hold a circle jerk. I don't care what you do, so long as it architects relationships between the people around you.

And Finally...

Enjoy yourself and make sure everyone else is enjoying themselves. I'll never contest that it takes a tonne of hard work to get somewhere, but if you are passionate for what you're doing then it'll reflect positively on the guild's standing.

To summarise:

Read the rest of the bloody blog!

[Got mah pix from here and here!]

Be George Clooney, Not Gordon Ramsay

2009-12-01T22:42:00.000-08:00

George Clooney and Gordon Ramsay are polar opposites of one another. The former is considered a cool, calm and collected personality who is in full control of his life - George's affairs are always in order. Mr Ramsay, on the other hand, is often perceived to be an irate megalomaniac bent on keeping his employees in line by shouting at them. A lot. These two celebrities are a massive success at what they both do, despite having very different methods at going about their business.

Throughout Leading A Guild's (I'm never sure if I should italicise that or not) short life I've always encouraged you all to be like old George. No, don't star in a hit film where you play a gangster and round up a group to carry out a heist. I mean you should act like he presents himself: This means you should remain rational and focused at all times. Be emotionally impartial, but not apathetic. When you maintain this relaxed state you'll find your members follow suit. That's called setting an example and ensures you don't end up on YouTube in the form of a raging raid manager who picked Ventrillo as his or her platform to go crackers on.

The concept behind performing in this way is a simple one: Shouting at other players may get them to perform a little more effectively, but it'll cause them to disrespect you. Be thought of as a smooth-talking alpha that shapes the world around him as you please - a real-life Chuck Bass, if you will.

After all, who likes the little man who loses his rag at the drop of a hat? Fill in your answer here: _____________________________ (10 marks)

...

Done?

If you answered 'no one', then you're incorrect.

The right answer is 'idiots'. Like attracts like so obviously hot-headed, moron tyrants lead small-minded, immature brats into battle. You may naturally be a very laid-back person but constantly find yourself screaming at raiders to do better because they don't obey you unless your voice is above 90 decibels. Then they shout back and, before you know it, there's a whole hunk of drama to deal with. Months pass and you're finally seen crying on the cobbled streets of Stormwind - battered, bruised and, if you've taken some of my advice too far, broke.

This isn't your fault.

Alright, it partially is because everything that happens to the guild is your direct responsibility. However, there's always a chance you'll accidentally recruit a bunch of bloody arseholes that don't reflect on your true leadership style at all. You'll think shouting at these problematic tossers will actually work. You'll be wrong. The only true solution to these living, breathing, walking, screaming causes of drama and issues is to boot them out. The chances are you won't have the opportunity to have these troublesome individuals to repent for their behaviour and realise the error of their ways. Eradicating these folks from the guild will help you and your members retain their focus and destroy any negativity.

I think Ramsay's always crazy because he's surrounded by incompetents during every day of his working life. That's why he's doomed to look like a raging fool forever; because his colleagues are idiots trying to work in a high-pressure environment. Don't be tempted into being Gordon.

Just keep it cool, mon. Like Clooney.

To summarise:

Go watch Men Who Stare At Goats or something.

[I got dah rele kewl pix from here, here and here!]

Are You An Administrator Or Leader?

2009-12-01T06:06:00.000-08:00

Are you up on British politics, reader? Of course you are! Who can ignore it? The British successfully demonstrate everything that is right and wrong with a free democracy on a daily basis. However, I won't be talking about expenses scandals or right-wing extremists getting TV air-time today. Instead, I want to focus on the people making big decisions and how that applies to guild leading.

Tony Blair is the former Prime Minister who now makes a very good living both as a motivational speaker and, ironically, a United Nations Peace Ambassador. Gordon Brown is the incumbent Prime Minister and served under Blair as Chancellor for the duration of Labour's time in power. Despite Blair not having an ultra-political background (especially when compared to those of similar standing in the Conservatives - the opposing party) he has enjoyed an unprecedented rise to power. Prior to gaining influence in the Labour Party, it's obvious that he exhibited true leadership qualities. It goes beyond simply being charismatic; Blair had, and still retains, the capacity to be persuasive and calm in the face of danger - a quality that even Star Trek says is important in authority figures. They are all also attributes I try to get you to emulate. I don't care if you think Blair's a complete twat; he's gotten away with taking an entire nation to war on nothing but spin and rhetoric. That's an amazing feat which makes the fact he appointed Brown as his successor even more remarkable - in a bad way.

The Scot is almost the polar opposite of Blair. He's portrayed as inarticulate, incompetent and moody by almost every press establishment and newsroom commentator. He's constantly snarling and looking downright unhappy. I'd be pissed off too if I caused a recession, but this bloke truly is King Pessimist. By not setting a good example for the country people are beginning to despise him. Gordon isn't a leader and, as such, has failed to sufficiently rally support behind his party. Labour will tap out at the next election.

So how is any of this relevant to guilds on your favourite MMO? Well in Britain, Brown is the natural administrator and Blair is the obvious leader. When they occupied these designated roles the government ran like Usain Bolt. Brown managed affairs but Blair was cabinet's mouthpiece. This combination worked for an entire decade so maybe it's worth reflecting on your own organisation in the same way.

Are you a leader or administrator? Blair or Brown? Kirk or Spock? Robin Hood or Friar Tuck? Do you like to pull the puppet strings from the back seat, or take charge from the front? It's pretty easy to tell if your guild runs by your will or the rules your faux bureaucracy has implemented. If the former is the case, then you're a leader. If the latter is the case, then you're an administrator. Simple.

The truth is that it doesn't matter if you're one or the other, but I will say this: Always have appropriate counterpart and make sure it's someone you get along with. Just as House has Wilson, a loud, free-speaking leader needs an administrator to keep him or her grounded. Conversely, the anal administrator requires a wildcard to think outside of the box.

The presence of this balance of personalities ensures your bigger team of officers runs smoothly. The important thing is to appoint a deputy that you trust and have patience for. Someone that contests your authority at every turn is someone you don't need. However, by having your own little administrator or natural leader you'll find both of you figure out unique solutions to the guild's issues.

In summary:

You may think yourself a true leader, but don't be scared to reflect on your true character.
Recruiting a counterpart is a risk and try to get someone you've known for more than ten minutes.
If you get the balance right, you can expect to rule for a thousand years (or until your subscription ends).

[I got the pictures from here, here and here.]

Class Leading

2009-11-19T13:28:00.000-08:00

This month's second article comes from the awesome Dom Sacco from Leet Games Blog and I've done an article for him in return. I hardly touch upon class leading with LAG and fortunately Dom covers the subject really well. It's mainly aimed at World of Warcraft players but there's words of wisdom here for everyone. Over to Dom!

This is my story as a rogue, Bluestreak, who from Day One as a guild class leader strived to manage his rogues into the best damn group of assassins on the server. Was it easy? Not in the slightest. Was it fun? Hell yes. I thought I’d provide my top five tips for ensuring your guild’s character classes are performing to the best of their ability:

1. Divide To Conquer

If your guild doesn’t have class leaders, middle-management, officers or whatever else you want to call them, why not?

You should seriously be considering breaking your guild up into separate segments, in order to unify and strengthen it even more. The most successful guild I was a part of did.

The Northern Terror was a fantastic group of people on the EU Thunderhorn server, who weren’t necessarily the most skilled, but had courage and charisma. It started out as a social guild which eventually wanted to take a dip into the pool of raiding. At first they could barely doggy-paddle. But they soon swam.

And the trick was great leading, good preparation and structure. It was as simple as that.

I strongly advise you assign one person as a class leader for each character class in your guild, or at least for a trial period. Choose wisely – the most skilled shouldn’t necessarily be the leader. Can they organise a raid? Do they have good communication skills? Are they friendly and enthusiastic?

Once you’ve selected someone, ensure they create a private text-based chat channel for the other members in their class, for example “Rogues Channel” – and ask them to read this guide!

2. Keep Your Friends Close…

Being a class leader isn’t easy. As Bluestreak I was required to micro-manage raids, research new techniques and get along with everyone. The latter is the part that people generally find the most difficult.

What I found more frustrating was the fact that I had to co-operate and teach rogues who wouldn’t usually get a second glance from me. But these people had been hand-picked by the guild leader, so I respected their decision and did my best to manage them.

Be lenient. It’s easier said than done, but if you can find a way to connect with those who agitate the hell out of you, do it. It’ll pay off in the long run, reap rewards and impress your guild leader. Really get to know those who you don’t get along with, make amends and turn to your closest in-game friends for advice if things get hairy.

Work closely with the other class-leaders and maintain a decent in-game relationship with them. The Paladin leader grew to get along with my rogues and I very well (and guess who got the majority of bonus heals in raids?).

3. Know Your Enemy

Never enter a raid you don’t know anything about. Ever.

Even if you get a random invite (from your own guild or another) and you have the chance of phat loot in exchange for class-leading, turn it down. As you probably know, reputation online can be easily tarnished and so you’ll want to know what you’re doing first.

Research the bosses, the mobs and the area until you know it like the back of your hand. Find out exactly what your class is supposed to be doing – what strategies, when, where and how. Then you will need to relay this to your team. Find whatever works best for you – as long as it works. This can be pulling them into a private room in Ventrillo, sending an in-game mail, an external e-mail, whispers, or whatever.

Only then can you lead a section of your guild’s raid team into battle. By all means try new tricks once you’ve mastered a raid, but don’t try too many new things on your first few play-throughs. You could let your guild down and give your class a bad name at the same time. Not a good combination, I can tell you that from experience.

You can setup macros for certain boss fights or download mods (make sure they’re legal) to send out important reminders in boss fights. For example, “Vanish now!” appears in Rogues Chat and a loud noise is made when Onyxia lands from the sky.

4. Get Equipped

This is probably the single most important aspect of class-leading you must get right: Letting your team know exactly what they’ll need to bring to a raid.

Of course you’ll need repair money, any essential quest items, minimum-spec gear and their word that they’ll be there for the required time. What can be more important however are consumables and extra items, which can make the difference between a wipe and a stylish boss defeat.

My old band of rogues were required to bring ten maximum health potions, a bag full of thistle tea and any other speed-increasing, armour-increasing and health-increasing items. It’ll be up to your guildies to get these themselves (if you don’t have a shared bank system), and you should reward them or punish them appropriately.

If they forget one health potion, that might be OK. But if they don’t bring any for three raids in a row, that’s a problem. I may sound like I’m being petty but the little things can make a huge difference in raiding.

5. Offer Bonuses

It’s not too corrupt to offer a few gold here and there to your best players, as a reward for downing a new boss or topping the damage metres (within reason, as long as they played fair and didn’t jeopardize the raid group).

If you’re a true guild-player you’ll be happy to progress as a team – and if that means offering prizes – so be it.

I used to give 5 gold to any rogues left standing after downing a boss we’d never fought before. It worked like a charm and got the team competitively working together.

Bonuses don’t just come in the form of items and in-game money however. Take your team into an instance or dungeon and see how far you can get. Try it again in a week’s time and you might get a little further. Only do it after a successful raid, as a reward.

Join multiplayer fights together or sneak into an enemy faction’s city and see what damage you can do. Have fun together – this helps build your team’s rapport and boosts their skills.

Finally…

Don’t forget to be nice. Remember you’re representing your entire class to the guild, and other external guilds too. Play well and you’ll keep your guild happy, enjoy the game more and impress others too.

I hope you found this guide useful – please leave your comments to let us know what you thought!

Good luck and raid hard.

Dom Sacco is the editor of Leet Games Blog: a website full of the latest videogame stories, reviews, features, tips and funny stuff! It’s also updated daily.

[Images provided by Dom! They all belong to their respective owners, as always.]

Alliances

2009-11-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

It's always great to be part of something big. There's nothing better than banding together with a bunch of other fellows to accomplish a common goal. Beating down bosses side-by-side with your guildies is certainly an exhilarating experience that's almost without equal. There's a reason why players voluntarily put themselves through blood, sweat and tears every raid night and it doesn't just come down to 'phat loot'. The feeling of comradeship that most successful players gain from running instances is the nearest to true friendship many MMOers will feel during their whole young adult life.

Unfortunately there are some players out there that have never come close to that level of bliss in their entire raiding career. In 99.9% of cases, this is due to them being holed up in guilds that don't have the capacity to raid. This may be down to several things, ranging from peeps not possessing the right gear, to members that are willing to raid simply flaking out. I've iterated many solutions to these issues before, whether it be letting folks acquire equipment independently to growing inner-guild relationships. However, it could take a long time for these factors to come together. Your guild may not be up to raiding standard for months.

Alliances offer a quick work-around and allow you to potentially begin raiding immediately. Even if you're a high-performance organisation already, alliances permit you to get 4-5 of your best players and combine them with the greatest from 2-3 other guilds. This allows all of you to try out content that none of you may have never seen otherwise. Hopefully you can understand the importance of good alliances - no matter where your raid guild falls on the hierarchy. They're ridiculously easy to facilitate and sustain so long as everyone enjoys themselves.

Starting an alliance is not hard. Begin by identifying guilds that are in a similar position to your own. Providing you're not an arsehole, you'll already have a good pool of friends to pick from. Even though that really well-geared dude who you hang around with in Dalaran's sewers isn't a guild leader, there's a good chance he'll introduce you to his friend who is. Don't be afraid to network and ask for introductions. Once you know some powerful people well enough, you can go ahead and send them an in-game letter. This just needs to be a 50-word proposal about the benefits of an alliance and how it would work. Ask if they're interested and then wait. So long as you articulate your argument appropriately and haven't gone after the best guild on the server, you'll find people will take a risk on an alliance. Then you only need to create a separate chat channel and decide on the alliance's terms. If you've run raids before, then most of the concepts will remain the same. There's just an extra element of coordinating your timetable to theirs and starting up a joint TeamSpeak. That's all you really need.

Drama will probably be the most difficult thing you'll have to deal with. Always try to remain emotionally detached from anything that could upset the links between your guilds. Don't be afraid to sit down with a fellow leader and work things out on an executive level. Don't dish out discipline on their troops without talking it through with their superiors first. They might not read LAG and may be very attached to the drama. Keep yourself dissociated and handle disruptions professionally. Alliances can provide guilds with a huge step up onto the raiding ladder. Don't let egotistical individuals get in the way of that. Isolate problem-causing people and deal with them or keep them away from activities involving allies.

To summarise:

Starting an alliance takes good networking and not much else.
Treat allied raids like you would normal raids. Schedule and run them the same. Getting nervous or apprehensive will result in poor performance.
Deal with drama professionally and impersonally.

[Now where I got my madd pixx from! Here, here and here.]

Danger Of Folks Going Solo

2009-10-20T04:11:00.000-07:00

So the beloved WoW blogger Greedy Goblin wrote a post at the end of last month talking about how players don't really need to join a decent guild to get gear any more. Instead, it could be beneficial for many folks to simply /gquit and start PuGing (Pick-up Grouping) with others, so long as everyone in these so-called 'independent' raids play competently.

I totally agree with him.

Moreover, this is a prime time for guild leaders to start reconsidering their position in the WoW community. Do you call your fine establishment a 'raiding guild' but are still stuck in Naxxramas? Then you're not a raiding guild. You are a social guild that holds the odd expedition into a glorified heroic dungeon. That may sound a little harsh, but I can guarantee it's exactly what your members are thinking.

How is any of this relevant?

Instances are getting easier. If you're running nine other people through Naxx' every night while cracking the whip and screaming down your mic on TeamSpeak, people are going to start quitting. No one has to put up with that sort of crap when they can go solo, join a PuG and make more personal progress in one night than your guild did in weeks. Unless you're raiding Ulduar, lay off pressuring your subordinates into doing better. Give them the freedom to join other groups if the opportunity comes up. Hell, if members are getting badges then they're getting better gear - gear that can be used to further your guild's advancement.

Always be aware of changing attitudes and shift your guild's direction accordingly. I know role-playing guilds have started raiding now because it's so easy. If you're all, 'OMG GUYIZ THATS THE FRIFTENNNTH BILLION THYME WE'VE WIPPED ON SPIDER QUARTER IM GONNA KILL YOU ALL AND EAT YOUR BRAINS AND SHIT THEM OUT AND SEND THEM TO YR MOMMA!' then people aren't going to stand for it. Obviously your class-combination composition is off and it's your job (or your raid leader's) to fix it. Acting like giant arachnids (or sentient fungi, or uber-charged Deathknights etcetera) are the biggest deal in the world is just going to lose you friends, especially as there's PuGs clearing this sort of content while half the raiders are stoned.

As I've said many times before, folks will stick around even if your raiding isn't up to scratch, so long as they hold a social attachment to the guild. However, if there's no emotional investment there (probably down to you being a raging douchebag) then your members will do what any sane person would: They'll add all the buddies they have in the guild to their friends list and quit. Blizzard has empowered the individual with the addition of badges and us guild leaders no longer hold influence over peeps because we offer fair loot distribution and regular raiding. We must offer a deeper and more fulfilling experience. At the very least, keep /gchat clean of idiocy and spam so members can raid in peace on their own.

In summary:

People are now more willing to raid solo more than ever.
Stop pushing for results if you haven't got any for a long time and give members the freedom to go off and do their own thang.
Once people have badge loot, then consider taking on Ulduar as a guild.

[No real image credits this week; I screen-grabbed from GG's blog.]

The Sense In Humour

2009-10-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

The more observant ones of you will have noticed that I've recently updated my 'Introduction' post to include a 'good humour agreement'. It basically says that anything on this blog isn't meant to be directly offensive to anyone. Readers of Leading A Guild should have realised that while I'm serious about the issues I talk about, it doesn't mean I can't deal with them in an amusing and ultimately pragmatic fashion. This philosophy can also be applied to actually leading a guild, as I prefer to lead through level-headedness coupled with a (virtual) smile, rather than use absurdly strict rules. This might seem a little contradictory to what I've said before, but lording over the guild while your members enjoy themselves is different from demanding absolute authority. I try to encourage the former and despise the latter, but can you still lead a guild when your members only take you semi-seriously?

It's all about knowing when to joke around and when to buckle down and do some work. The guy who spends all day telling jokes in Ventrillo is never going to get his guild to progress as far as the leader who opts for a healthy balance between implementing rules and letting members do want they like. Although telling jokes all day may seem like a good way to get guildies to like you, the lack of proper productivity will actually cause you to lose respect in their eyes. Of course if you lead a social guild then none of that really matters, as people join up mainly to be entertained anyway. However, if you're a raiding pioneer, then being too comical at the wrong moments will simply leave you being perceived as the 'clown' to your men and women. I've never seen a clown kill the Lich King, although they may be able to by the time Cataclysm rolls around.

Even simply being pleasant may lead to your downfall under certain circumstances. Failure to punish a rebel or push on with a raid run at the right time can spell disaster for your guild. In these situations you'll find that the outcome is more down to luck than a pre-determined set of variables. You may think 'if I /gkick this guy he's going to go off and spread crap about me', or 'if I call for another go on this boss people will rage quit if we wipe'. Sometimes you just have to make a decision and then put your guild into the hands of fate. If you make consistent choices in line with the guild's overall goal and can justify them, it's likely no one will argue with you. Conversely, if the guy you wish to punish hasn't properly violated your established rules, or you're making a social guild raid until 1AM - then expect for your members to express discontent. Tapping into what people expect of you will make things run a lot more smoothly and you'll know whether to play the good or bad guy in these instances. I can't go ahead and tell you to be 50% arsehole and 50% nice guy, because some occasions will call for you to be more of one than the other.

I will say one thing though: Let the conditions you find the guild faced with dictate your mood, not the other way around. It is acceptable to be angry with your members if people have been taking more than they've been giving to the guild bank. It's not acceptable to be angry with your members if you woke up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Allowing your own hormones to run the guild is a very primitive and unwise action to take and within a week you'll be branded as a fickle monster who no one will want as their master.

In summary:

Writing blog posts at 4AM is not a good idea.
Having a sense of humour is a good thing, but being the guild clown is not so good.
Don't be afraid to be the arsehole, if people are clearly deserving it.

[Image credits go to these guys for the Hitler picture, these guys for the clown shoes and this site for the fairly unrelated 'nice guy' pic.]

Attachments, Part Two

2009-09-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

In the past I've made a big point out of getting attached to your guild members. Rather, you need them to get emotionally invested in your cause. When done correctly, your guildmates will stand by you during the toughest times. Still, as the leader you are expected to uphold a high standard of self-respect. It's your responsibility to exercise a degree of control over your own feelings. That means you shouldn't allow for your own vision to be clouded, even when some of your members are vying for your attention. Once your guild becomes popular you may easily be overwhelmed by the admiration members will bestow upon you. Appreciate any gratitude they display but don't get carried away. The worst case scenario would be if you start favouring some members more than others because they suck up to you the most. Your judgement should never be impaired in this way.

There have been instances in the past where guild leaders have lost all sense of reality and fallen in love with their members. It's expected that you become somewhat parental regarding your guild, but there's always one or two folks who take it too far. Remember ages ago when I made a fairly poor analogy about how having the desire to lead is like having schizophrenia? Well the chances are that some of your realm's guild masters are truly insane. A recent WoW.com article has demonstrated this perfectly. In it, an anonymous guild leader is identified as being bloody crazy. No, they're not egotistical or a loot whore - they just demand certain members add her on Facebook and reply to her status updates and wall posts. Constantly.

The idea here is (essentially) a good one. Getting to know members outside of the game through social networking sites is a similar aim that forums try to connote. Unfortunately it seems this can be easily abused if your guild master happens to be attention-deprived. Don't get carried away with interacting with your recruits on a personal level. It's invasive and remember that you're all there for a higher purpose than to establish a glorified dating agency. Of course it's more acceptable for social guilds to do, but raiding progress guilds should opt for a good dungeon run over lovey-dovey time.

In summary:

Getting members attached to the leader is good.
Reciprocating that respect is also good, to a point.
Don't Facebook-stalk your members!

[Image credits go to WoW.com and here.]

The Age Issue

2009-09-08T06:27:00.000-07:00

Its not uncommon to see high-end guilds only recruiting people aged 18 and over. Why is this? Well the general consensus within the community currently is that kids are more likely to misbehave. This is especially true on the Internet, as they enjoy a level of anonymity that is only found online. Furthermore, it's reasonable to claim you don't want guild members alt-tabbing in the middle of raids to watch Thomas The Tank Engine episodes. Even grouping casually with youngsters can be a pain, as demonstrated in this WoW.com article.

Is demonising younger players right? Possibly. Although I provide a steadfast opinion on many of the subjects covered in this blog, this one is fairly controversial. No right-minded guild leader wants to be branded as an arrogant ageist, but what can we do when most teenagers (and younger people too) act like idiots? Things are further complicated if your guild isn't doing too well. There will be occasions where employing an age limit seems like a brilliant idea. What better way to attract smart, reliable and like-minded members? There are many things you may have overlooked when considering this policy, the foremost being that you're dealing with adults. With any luck these ladies and gentlemen will already have loves and lives of their own. They may be willing to join your guild, but that doesn't mean they'll have time to raid. More problems may arise if you play on a server with low population, as it's likely older, more capable players will have already been snatched up by those establishments which have been around for quite a while.

Ageism is a form of prejudice. It may only take common sense to justify why, but some people view an age restriction policy in a negative light. Try not to shout about how great it is from the rooftops otherwise you may warrant some strange looks. Also try to bare in mind that these people grow up. I began playing WoW 4 years ago. Despite being in many late teens, I was a stubborn little twat. At the time I was a competent strategist and able player, but unfortunately I was too silly to improve myself in more productive ways. Thankfully I was taken under the wing of an intelligent and likeable guild leader who spelt out the way to behave appropriately. It was his guidance that I became a decent leader in my own right. I was 17 at the time; if his guild had followed an 18+ policy I would have never been taught all this great information by my impromptu tutor and you would have never had the opportunity to read this blog.

Many of you have a natural flair for teaching so consider not alienating younger players and instead take them along for your amazing adventures so they can learn from you. It takes a lot of patience but why are you leading a guild if you can't afford to put in a little time and effort into developing a potentially awesome friendship?

Some argue that it's our duty as guild leaders to aid those who need it. However, if you're a progress guild, then its definitely acceptable that you don't want to waste time chasing after annoying children. Just don't go yelling about how stupid you think younger people are - they could be potential members in the future.

In summary:

Only you can decide if your guild is ready for an age limit.
If you're a small and ineffective guild already, then recruiting youngsters could be a good direction.
Just remember to screen folks rigorously if you're a serious guild.

[Image credits go to this site, these guys, here and heeeeere!]

The Importance Of Forums

2009-08-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

In truth, this topic should be entitled 'The Importance(?) Of Forums'. I've said from the very beginning that guild forums are not necessary. When you and your officers are dedicating 100% of your time running activities in-game, then why should you want to stretch yourselves even further and have to moderate a board as well? Furthermore, if your members are enjoying playing the game, then they have no real reason to spend their time trawling around pointless subjects or posting raid strategies, boss loot and similar information which is easily found on World of Raids. I've always been of the opinion that forums are a waste of time to set up and even just getting people to window out and register can be a pain in the arse.

A guild forum/website can be of some use though. For instance, I was recently playing a riveting Versus game of Left 4 Dead with some strangers. Following the match the opposite team were impressed at my natural skill and invited me to join their clan. I told them I'd consider it and went off to kill some more zombies. Hours passed and I found myself half bored to death while simply browsing the 'net. Then the website address of the clan I was playing with earlier popped into my head and I decided to check them out. Thanks to their great, professional-looking site I was tempted into submitting an application.

But what if they never had their own website? I would have never given their little offer to join up a second thought. If you're one of those guys who doesn't like to recruit directly then simply forwarding people to a well-made website is possibly the best thing you can do to encourage them to join up. A summary of your goals and accomplishments presented in the right format will bring legions of promising new folks into your ranks.

Fellow blogger and avid WoW fan Larísa also recently made a claim that a guild forum is a great way to check up and see if your guild is 'healthy'. She argues that a decline in activity on a forum is a very negative thing and should be treated quickly. While the post admits that many guilds function well without a forum, it's silly for a raiding guild not to have one. On the contrary, I believe that with the advent of in-game tools such as the Guild Calendar, guilds can run pretty smoothly without having to talk things through constantly via a forum. If you think discussing strategies is a necessity, then set aside an evening to talk things through with your raiders on /g or on Ventrillo. Granted, having a forum does make things run a lot smoother and can reflect the social atmosphere of your guild quite well. Conversely, I've known many guilds that have progressed straight through Ulduar and beyond without a piece of external communication (aside from TeamSpeak) between them.

Yep, forums can serve as another useful platform for people to bond. Who doesn't like looking at the real life pictures of people you play with, especially if they're hot? Websites have always proved to be a useful recruitment tool too and they let you brandish your guild's achievements at people passing by. Just remember the other side of the argument: Forums are also another way for drama to spawn and must be moderated fairly frequently. In addition, why are people posting on a forum when THEY COULD BE FARMING FOR FLASK MATS FFFFFFFF!!!?!??!?!!?!

In summary:

This isn't 2004. You don't necessarily need a forum to co-ordinate your guild effort any more.
However, they can be a great, subtle recruiting tool and they easily let you see if people are getting along well.
Moderation is key in many ways. Make sure no one is stirring crap and causing drama and ensure that people spend more time actually in the game.

[Image kudos go to The Pink Pigtail Inn, The Art of Warfare and Wikipedia.]

On The Gear Myth

2009-08-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a lot of the Greedy Goblin recently. It's a fantastic World of Warcraft blog run by a certain popular writer. From what I can decipher, the site started out as a money-making guide but has developed into a place to highlight the social faux pas most WoW players carry out on a daily basis.

A recent reoccurring topic is that of gear. Our new friend Mr Goblin believes that gear is overrated. For months I've told you that gear is important but attitude should always take priority. Gevlon's successful 10-man run on Ulduar with nothing but blues and buffs furthers my own argument. Gear (or lack thereof) has become the root of a psychological mindfuck since Wrath was released. It's possible to take on Naxxramas in level 80 greens but no raid leader in their right mind would let you try it. Why not?

Well if you ask any of these raiders, they'll claim being under-equipped will drag the entire team down. This isn't necessarily true. The first time I ran Naxx' successfully I was barely able to complete heroics. This isn't Burning Crusade and the top loot is simply no longer required to participate in raids. Instead, good gear represents something. It says you're willing to commit time and effort into attaining the very best for your character. To some it's a big, glowing sign which points at your head and reads 'I AM NOT A SLACKER!'. The same goes for achievements and how they symbolise experience. However, both of these aspects have workarounds for the cunning, from linking weapons you see from /inspecting in Dalaran to utilising crafty addons. Many people should have realised these methods of evaluation are downright outdated. It's laziness on the part of a group or guild recruiter to simply demand links to stuff and not think beyond that. This ridiculous trend continues and unfortunately will do so into the next expansion.

Gear is a paradox. Person A may be undergeared for the instance but they'll try twice as hard to compensate for that. Person B may be overgeared and believes the dungeon or raid is below their skill level. They don't try as hard as Person A and therefore risk undermining the entire run. How many people do you know who believe themselves to be competently geared and yet can't even clear Old Kingdom on heroic mode? Compare this with Gevlon's successful Ulduar group where everyone was undergeared by 50% but put in 150% effort.

I'm not saying one highly-publicised example of overcoming the odds reflects the playerbase at large. Only a fool would suggest we all rush out and take on instances wearing absurdly bad armour. At the end of the day gear matters because it allows you and I to make more mistakes. When I tank I like to give the healers a safety net by having a large pool of HP. If they miss an opportunity to top-up my health there's less chance I'm going to be one-shotted. This is simple logic and remains the key reason why all of us should still appreciate gear. It's just important to bare in mind that owning epics isn't the be-all and end-all of raiding. As guild leaders it's our imperative to remember that skill is always going to be more important than seeking out idiots with achievements.

In summary:

Don't underestimate the skill of your players.
Better to bring along the guy with skill and passion than the bloke with apathy and gear.
A combination of a great attitude and good gear is what you should aim for.

[Image props go to both the Greedy Goblin and Ixobelle!]

Relationships

2009-07-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

No man is an island. Well, some are. These... 'special' individuals are indeed islands like the one from Lost; they're insanely complex and a bitch to understand. Many leaders follow a Jack Sheppard mindset – they're happy to walk amongst the members of their guild, but are quick to establish that they're better. Leaders naturally believe they're more competent and successful at what they do, whatever they do, wherever they do it. This is great because people like that generate a lot of self-belief by themselves that allows them to easily overcome criticism.

This trait can also have a negative impact on the way you run your joint. Failure to take the right precautions will cause you to stroll around like you've got a stick up your arse within a few weeks. Having an ego defence mechanism or two in place isn't a bad thing, but it's very easy to get carried away. Without careful discipline of your personality, you'll potentially develop a God complex and will begin to view your members as vastly inferior to yourself. In many ways, you'll become Lost's island – unpredictable to the extent of being batshit insane. Being aloof is good, but not when you find yourself distanced from everyone else. The majority of this blog has been about creating connections and relations with your members. You never want them to stop relating to you. Forget about how quickly you can kill a certain boss, how many honour points you can accumulate or what events you hold. Satisfying your members and getting them to relate to you is what matters. This is the foundation of any good guild. It explains why, as the article on attachment states, people stick with you even during a downturn. It doesn't matter if you're raiding five nights a week; you'll still have bad days where members will be inclined to rage quit if there's not enough emotional investment there.

Have you got a partner? I don't care if it's a man, woman or even your cat. Chances are that they play WoW (or whatever MMO you're on) already. Drafting them into your guild works well in a lot of ways. Not only do you get to show your lover what great leadership skills you have, but you're also actively conveying alpha status to your other members. However, beware of your sweetheart demanding special privileges just because you're in a romantic relationship. It's all very well to prove your humanity by having your love join up, but if you give them unwarranted attention you're just showing how inferior you believe everyone else to be.

The first guild I ever joined got it right. It was led by a Norwegian bloke and a set of ambitious officers. His woman was one of the deputies, but she certainly deserved the position. The two of them worked off each other superbly, while taking ideas from their subordinates too. The whole establishment ran like a well-oiled machine for the best part of 7 months. Don't forget that just because those guys were able to work the dynamics of their relationship into the guild, it doesn't mean you'll be able to emulate such success. It doesn't matter if your girl (or boy) is good in the bedroom; that doesn't mean they'll make a good leader. The same applies to the mates you've brought in from outside the game. I don't give a rat's arse if they're superb at Halo - they may be utterly shit with people.

Don't give people you know positions of power just for the sake of it. Make it very clear that you trust them, but that doesn't mean that 99 other people in the guild will automatically too. So long as these lines are drawn, there should be no love lost for anyone.

In summary:

No man is an island. You and your members do well to remember this.
Don't go ego trippin'.
Some guilds led by lovers can work really successfully. Others fail miserably. Decide what works best for you, and don't turn out like the couple from China Miéville's The Scar.

[Image credits! Here, Bebbbbbbo and this ridiculously obvious PR stunt.]

Keeping Positive

2009-07-16T03:50:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, its another internalisation post today. Don't moan; how are you supposed to be a good guild leader if you don't act like one? Don't worry though, I accept we all have lives to lead, so I'll keep it short as possible.

I accept that many of you will be positive thinkers already. When you start a guild, you realise that you're going to surround yourself with hundreds of strangers every day. Despite the huge potential for things to go wrong, the vast majority of guild leaders have an optimistic attitude, for at least the first few days. This is known as the 'Honeymoon Period'. No matter how many guilds you've been in or lead in the past, starting a new one is always an exciting prospect. Unless you're a boring twat bent on repeating the mistakes of the past, then every new guild will be initially good because it's new. While there's lots of potential for things to effectively fuck up, there's also potential for things to go right. This high energy stems from your own fresh positivism. It's retaining that atmosphere which is the difficult part and failure to do so is what causes problems. Hopefully this article will be helpful in demonstrating some ways of how to avoid issues ever occurring after the Honeymoon Period ends.

See, the album is called 'Stay Positive'.

Positive reinforcement.

Promote people who show optimism and make sure your inner circle of officers share your vision to the letter. Rewarding those who dedicate themselves to the guild's future, whether it be with gold, attention or rank, is a great way to form a power base. This way you are insuring that anyone who does speak negatively against you without good reason is pushed aside. I know a few people who are stuck in crap guilds but are afraid to speak out and inform the leadership just how shit their establishment is. Why? Because everyone else has been successfully conditioned into maintaining a ridiculously positive mindset no matter what. They've seen, first hand, that people who disrupt the peace are punished. Remember that your real power over members may deteriorate over time (hey, you need them to fill raid groups!), but they can still be duped into believing you're as strong as ever. This isn't really immoral, but it is definitely down to you presenting a good, congruent image at first. Rewarding those who you like means they'll defend your honour and the guild, even when things are going badly or you're not even around.

Don't make promises you can't keep.

I know it seems an obvious point to make, but really. Consistency is key when trying to make a new set of people trust you, and not following through with what you say is a way to get disliked easily. We all snigger when we see new guilds recruiting people on the premise they'll be getting a bank soon. These types of promises appear trivial at face value, but at least the majority of such guilds fulfil them. Compare this to some of the overly ambitious idiots who claim that their guild will be the best by 2010. Which are you more likely to believe and trust? I've seen folks promise their members stuff which was basically unachievable at the time. Then, as you may expect, their members proceeded to call them out on such bullshit. This leads to a silly 'Boy Who Cried Wolf' scenario where the leader keeps promising more and more stuff in a vain effort that it will somehow buy back the loyalty of their troops. It doesn't work. In these situations, it's best to admit your mistake (either privately or publicly) and move on. A realistic guild leader won' make idiotic goals in the first place. Stop believing that just because you talk big, the guild will become big. It doesn't just work like that.

Don't stop believing.

No, I don't want to take the midnight train to anyywheeere. I do want you all to realise that people are more likely to believe your ideas if you already do. I've come up with some strange ideas in the past, but because my frame of mind was so strong, others went along with it. People can tell whether you're truly passionate about something, or just in it for the loot – even on the Internet. This is not permission to mouth off about how your guild is the greatest ever, and remember that modest, realistic aims will do you a heap of good. Keep your own emotions high, but bare in mind that if you start talking the talk, then walk the walk.

Get it? Journey? 'Don't Stop Believing'? Anyone!?

Think big, but don't go shouting about how good your guild is at first. People tend to be more impressed by your achievements when you're humble about them. Likewise, remember your priorities. What's good about perfecting a flashy website when you could be motivating and recruiting people in-game? What good is a forum and thorough manifesto if there's no one interested in reading them? Perhaps the easiest way to keep a good thing going is simply to do the first things first, and worry about all the details later. Plough on through any rough patches, and keep your chin held high.

In summary:

Positive energy will be the thing that motivates all your members until you start producing results – whether they be in the form of loot, battleground wins or RP events.
Optimists should be praised.
Don't make idiotic, out-of-reach promises.
Keep your priorities relevant.

[IMG CRZ GO 2: 'Dese folks and here.]

Directorships Work

2009-06-18T03:21:00.000-07:00

This chapter will focus on why guilds lead by cliques and councils are destined to fail.

Do you know that the mental illness schizophrenia occurs in one out of a hundred people? Wherever you go in the world, the median will be approximately the same. Evolutionary psychopathologists reason that, back when we were still living in tribes, the ideal group size would be around one hundred people and there would be typically one individual with schizophrenic-like symptoms. For example, he or she would hear voices from an unseen deity, or claim to have battled demons that everyone else has failed to spot. Therefore, this 'special' person would be naturally promoted to leadership status to command the group. Nowadays, taking orders from such a nutter seems to be the completely wrong idea, but we can borrow some of these elements and apply it to our own guild-leading strategies. After all, this was a very effective group model that allowed our species to survive for millions of years, so why can't we use it today?

Just like being on Ventrillo, eh?

I understand that you're (probably) not schizophrenic. Supposing that you charged around Dalaran proclaiming that you'd been hearing voices from God/Ra/The Smoke Monster/Yogg-Saron, I'd assume that you were crazy and you'd never gain my respect. As we all know, the one who attempts to act the most in control via extreme measures is the guy who is the least in command. Insisting that you're the avatar for some divine being (which would have worked in tribal times) will just be condemned as insane on a videogame. Instead, you must become a god. Everyone has more respect for the guy who is well-geared and possesses a number of impressive achievements than one in bad equips and no titles. I've covered the importance of personal character development in other chapters, but it is key when leading a guild on your own. You may have more wit and ambition than the next guild master, but people are more likely to believe you if you have proof. True schizophrenics really do believe the demented stuff that is apparently happening to them is absolutely real, and you must approach managing your guild with a similar amount of conviction and commitment – even if you have to go 'prove' your divinity through fairly useless trinkets.

Leading a guild by yourself can seem like a very intimidating prospect. Still, if you have followed my tips so far, then life will have already been made easier for you. I'm not suggesting you install a dictatorship, either. Your members should follow your lead due to them having a large amount of respect for you, not because you're forcing them to. This is not the army, nor is your guild supposed to be a beacon of discipline on an otherwise chaotic server. You are a group of people that have come together for a common purpose. While members will tolerate a lot in order to get their hands on epics, everyone has their limits. Bossing people around due to your leadership status alone and making up flimsy, idiotic rules to boost your own ego is a sure way to be branded as an arsehole. For guilds that don't even have the tantalising treat of good gear to wave in the faces of their members, keeping them in line will seem like a huge task. However, if you've read the other posts on this blog, then sustaining membership shouldn't be a problem.

So, why go it alone? I'm not saying that you should totally wander off and do your own thing completely and treat everyone in ranks below as scum. I actually highly recommend that you have an array of officers willing to support you but at the end of the day, it is you who takes the responsibility for the well-being of your guildies. In council-based leadership systems, every decision takes time and must be approved by the majority. Even then the final result may be ridiculous, and not appropriate to the circumstances or context of the incident that initiated the decision-making process. A guild lead by a tightly-knit group can be more corrupt than one run by a single player. A hard-lining, lone trooper who is abusing his authority will quickly lose power and either be overthrown by his sub-ordinates, or will inadvertently make them all quit. A group of such disliked characters will have an easier time staying in power, due to their ability to collectively pressure people into doing things their way. No one wants to be in that sort of situation. Ruling by committee is ineffective and promotes an elitist circle, whereas ruling alone allows for flexibility and openness between everyone.

Er... I'm not sure if this is proving my point or going against it.

The main problem with leading a guild as a council is the diffusion of responsibility that comes with more people accepting a powerful role. Initially, this may seem to be beneficial, especially when managing a large guild. Simultaneously, the lack of a single spokesperson to take the blame when something goes wrong (or credit when something goes right) is idiotic. Unless the people you are leading your guild with are all very mature, competent and sane without having outrageously large egos, then when something does go wrong, people will begin to point the finger at each other. This ranges from when an incident occurs during a raid, to when you can't even get a group together in the first place. Drama breaks out and before you know it, one of the council has left the guild. Alternatively, they take 'executive action' to enforce their own demands, resulting in them becoming the true leader and highlighting how stupid the whole council idea was to begin with. Unfortunately, the organisation is used to a more 'democratic' approach to leadership, and despite the new model being far more efficient, members tend to leave in their droves due to the unexpected change.

The other issue is that no one answers to anyone else. You're basically giving up all your power to six or seven people who may not work together very well at all. 'Shush!' I hear you scream, 'they're all working for the good of the guild!'. Yes, they are. The whole concept of a guild is abstract, though. For instance, say you're in a raiding guild. Now, are you simply there to gain purple items? Is raiding with like-minded people a way for you to socialise easier? Which is more important? What you interpret as the overall, final goal for the guild may be completely different to someone else's perception, especially if you don't have a firm cause outlined to begin with. This usually wouldn't be a problem if there's only one person in charge; they shape the direction of the guild how they wish. Now imagine a tonne of people insisting that their frame of mind is the best for the guild. A lot of the ideas will overlap, but essentially a lot of the time differences will occur when it comes to reaching goals. You want to get your hands on some pretty good gear? One council member may suggest raiding five nights a week, but another may only insist on one. Compromise is essential here, but given the average size of a player's ego, it is likely that reaching an agreement that truly satisfies everyone will be impossible.

Is your current management model as useless as this kid? If so, its time to change!

Be aware that a one-leader policy will never please everyone, either. Still, by actively asking for suggestions from time to time (preferably taking the pre-emptive before your guild becomes dissatisfied) you can still appease the people while exercising your own influence. People will still leave when they realise that they don't want the same things the rest of the guild do from the game, but it is up to your recruitment system to make your intentions clear from the get-go. Taking polite suggestions from subordinates is a lot easier than outright declining the idea of an equal (as what would happen in a council situation) and a lot less harmful to their ego.

Despite the presence of the tips above, I've still seen the single-person leader system being abused. Raid guilds are certainly guilty of this. There are thousands of guilds out there that follow the above guidelines to the letter, but are seen renown for elitism. Why is this? Surely if you have the gear, a powerful cause and a fair and just leader, then you're set to go? But even when a guild is well-established you must stay focused. It is easy to slip into Stalinism, especially if you lose the respect of your followers (by getting too close to them, letting them overtake you with gear, etc.). You must be at the top of your game because lashing out at members who rise above their position will only make you look weaker. A lot of raid guilds believe that gear is equatable to status so highly that they go as far as to make 'officers have priority over loot' rules. Certainly the higher ranks will look better, but at a cost to them being just. In this example, respect for the leader moulds itself into another form. Not fear (which comes with making ridiculous rules and trying to enforce all of them), but members will simply become bitter and begin to loathe the leader.

To help avoid your guild turning into a fascist state, I've devised these three guidelines:

Don't be a dick.

If you're a twat and simply too rude to your members, then they will outright /gquit without warning. You should not be bothered by the occasional random /gquitter, but when they start leaving in their droves, then consider your own tact to be the cause. An intimidating guild leader is an unapproachable one, and even if there's something in your guild that is causing people to leave other than your own character (say, the activities of another or a whispering campaign), no one will want to speak to you about it if you're an arsehole. Work on respect, rather than getting them to fear you.

Keep rules simple.

Assuming you have any special rules at all. Ideally, terms and conditions should be never placed on a website or guild information tab. You should be recruiting people that naturally fit to your manifesto and have each new member undergo a simple screening test before joining. If you're recruiting on a large scale, then just ask people if they're active, and tell them personally, upon signing up, that you expect them to be social in guild chat. Even if you aim to attract very specific, skilled players, you should still aim not to over-complicate things. Supposing these players are really as skilled and mature as their application makes out, then surely they shouldn't need to be explicitly told not to spam public channels, and to keep swearing to a minimum, etc.. It should go without saying. When you find yourself kicking a lot of people, due to them breaking a lot of rules, then you're either recruiting the wrong sort of player, or you have too many pedantic rules.

Set aside time to manage all aspects of your guild.

When you don't have the time to thoroughly run your guild, then I recommend simply joining another and naturally climbing their rankings. However, you should be secure enough in your position of power to maintain control even if you only spend an hour a day online. In the situation that you can only get in-game for a short time every day, have your officers send you a report on the main activities that have taken place (if any) and check your logs (both the guild one, accessed through the 'Guild Information' from the main guild list, and the bank).

Check your logs! Wait, what?

I'm not saying that you should have to run a guild all by yourself. I will argue, however, that officers should merely enforce your will, not create one of their own to challenge your power. This is why you must promote your very best and most trusted friends into high ranks. They must be totally loyal to your cause and methods. Say you promote someone to a high position who comes equipped with a hidden agenda, you can guarantee that the guild will spiral into madness at some point or another. By the time you start your guild, you should have already thought of a strong purpose, and set of rules that everyone can abide by. Assuming these are solid, then you should rarely have to consult a fellow player for advice, or ask for help. Remember that guilds run by councils are not democracies at all, but rather just collections of self-elected individuals who are too insecure and incompetent to rule alone.

To summarise:

Leading a guild by yourself is a daunting task, but can be extremely efficient when compared to the alternatives.
Be committed to your vision and get others to associate your personal success at gaining titles with that of the guild's future.
People should respect you, not fear you.
Let officers have their say, but do not be afraid to give them a slap on the wrist, should they pursue too much power.
Don't be a dick.
Keep rules simple.
Time manage.
Officers should always do your bidding, not their own. Giving someone so much power also naturally grants them a level of freedom. Make sure they don't take advantage of that.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Share it with your officers, but make sure you're still the one calling the shots.

[Here be da credit for da images, mon. Here. 'Ere. 'Ere. 'Ere. 'Ere. 'Ere.]

Professionalism

2009-06-06T19:06:00.000-07:00

You are not a rock star.

Until your guild is the best in the world, you have no right to act like you are God's gift to WoW or whatever MMO you choose to play. In fact, if it was the best in the world, you would have certainly realised that there are better things to worry about than how big everyone thinks your e-penis is. Having an ego made of glass is not productive. Neither can you start crying when your guild doesn't follow you to the ends of the Earth/Azeroth/New Eden simply because you demanded them to. Believing that people should respect you without giving them a real reason to first is selfish, unrealistic and immature. Displaying such characteristics will only attract idiots to your guild. No one wants that.

There will be a time when you can snap your fingers and your entire online member-base will come running. Expecting such behaviour off the bat, however, is foolish. Dealing with people online is a lot different to managing them in the real world. There's a reason why popular retail brands have terrible conversion rates when it comes to Internet sales. There's a reason why Downing Street ban people from making comments on all their videos on YouTube. People are not harder to deal with online, but definitely different. On our planet, people are motivated by factors such as money and self-gain. Companies keep their employees in-check by providing these elements, in return for productivity. What are you offering people if not money? Initially, nothing. With nothing to restrain people, they go crazy. Consumers won't buy from brands online if they're less expensive in the shops and self-proclaimed political pundits will take full advantage of anonymity and will say exactly what they feel about the government, so long as they don't show their face or real name.

Would you be able to get half a million signatures from people off the street? No, because the everyman in real life is a coward, or would simply think you're nuts. Online, however...

There's a point to all this. You can't simply pay people gold in order to get their loyalty. Believe me; I've tried. Even relying on epic gear to keep players in the guild will not be enough sometimes. What happens when summer hits, and people start to go on holiday? If you have no other hold over them, then the people who stay around to play will look elsewhere for raiding fulfilment. By the time the rest of the guild returns from sunning themselves in different parts of the world, there won't be enough members left to continue raiding. Well-run guilds take measures to negate such downturn, like recruiting excessively before summer, or officially declaring raiding over until September. However, at the end of the day, you're going to have to use innovative techniques to get people to stick by you. Being in a guild is never perfect for one hundred percent of the time. It's part of your job to keep people by your side, even when things are looking shitty. This is an art.

It starts with being professional. A lot of people say that you shouldn't treat leading a guild like a job, and be as casual as you want with members. I'm not saying act like an emotionless psychopath. You'll find that I recommend communicating and bonding with your guild on a very regular basis. Simultaneously, you must work hard to remain aloof from any drama that may personally affect you. Getting involved with things on a private level just so you can satisfy your bleeding heart doesn't help anything. If you're angsty, go make a blog or listen to My Chemical Romance. Lashing out just because someone has attacked you or one of your friends will do nothing but worsen your own reputation. When people start seeing you as a crazy megalomaniac who will do anything to protect his or her ego, you're screwed.

I'll apply this to a specific example: About a year ago I was leading a rather successful WoW guild on Defias Brotherhood, EU. In the space of a month we'd accumulated over one hundred and fifty members and had really some good vibes going on. One day, one of the founders decided to quit, with her last words in the chat being, 'I don't think much to this guild TBH'. Then she left, for no apparent reason. This particular female never really said anything much and only turned up to the occasional raid. All the same, when she bailed so abruptly with such a vague explanation it made me angry. 'Why!? Why!?' I'd ask. 'Why did you just leave!? If you don't explain yourself, then we can't find out what's wrong with the guild!' She ignored me and I never got to the bottom of why she quit. It infuriated me, though.

Arguments can occur over anything and everything at any time. Stay cool and keep indifferent.

As a result, I came off as an incompetent, out-of-control arsehole and made my guild look bad as a result. I shouldn't have cared that much, but I did and my clinginess led to me being silly. I'm not saying never care when someone quits, but if you don't get a response, then it doesn't matter. Always opt to cut your losses and save face over pursuing a pointless line of enquiry. Frequent open discussions with your guild should highlight any issues your members have. Running after members who have just quit is not going to get you any answers, which means trying to talk things through with them only spawns confusion and frustration.

The key thing to all this is staying laid back. Do not care about petty incidents. As Erik Von Markovik says in The Mystery Method, 'keep telling yourself that it doesn't matter. Soon enough, you'll start believing that nothing is ever 'a big deal''. Whilst TMM deals with picking up women, some of the content covers coping with rejection, too. Managing such behaviour is a key trait of staying in control, as you'll find yourself facing situations revolving around different types of rejection daily. Just tell yourself that it's not a big deal, and it won't be.

This is Mystery. He may look a bit weird, but fits a typical 'guild leader' archetype. Not only is he highly successful with women, but is also able to command legions of men, too. He has a calm, laid back personality which subtly requests respect, rather than demand it without earning first.

Professionalism is a form of damage control. If someone pisses you off, the last thing to do is act like an amateur and react negatively. Cool off, admit that something has gone wrong, and move on. Getting hung up on insignificant people is never the right way to go about things. If someone is pissing you off in your guild, then kick them. Offer a brief explanation before or after you boot them out if you wish, but stay calm. I'm all for people letting their own personality shine through, but if you're a hot-headed moron who accuses everyone else of being wrong and blows your top every time someone says something against you, then guild leading is not, and will never be, your forte. We all have our bad days sometimes, but that should never lead you to taking out your anger on others at the slightest provocation. A good leader knows when to go outside and get some perspective, and when to sit down to do their duty.

Staying cool and dealing with drama will allow you to disarm any situation. Ideally you don't want to kick everyone who starts causing trouble, but you really shouldn't be recruiting such immature idiots anyway. Performing in such a way will not necessarily guarantee that people will fall in love with your guild, but it will certainly buy you some respect and encourage them to act in a similar way. In later chapters, I'll discuss how you can get people to come to you with their problems before they even consider leaving, but for now keeping a clear head and an ego that actually reflects your position in the world will help massively.

If this strange clan can hold together in Dalaran's Underbelly, so can your guild. Just take it easy and keep to the right mindset.

This is all about setting an example. Having a positive-yet-realist attitude will allow others to follow suit. Keeping your nose clean and your allies happy will encourage your members to reprise such sentiments. On the flip side, don't go cybering in Goldshire or lashing out at random guildies. Not only is being caught out on such occasions embarrassing to you, but you're also giving your members permission to do similar things that could be harmful to your guild's reputation.

To summarise:

Rise above petty people.
Don't act like you're the leader of Ensidia; you're probably not and your guild is most likely still wiping in Naxx. It's fine to have ambition, but that doesn't mean you should act like a dick.
Don't act like you're a fifteen year-old who hasn't got more pressing issues in his life than crying over people who insult him online.
Know how to stay in control of your own emotions. When you're easily angered, it's difficult to diffuse other people's anger.
Respect for you is going to be one of the key motivators for people to stay in your guild for the long haul. Managing member affairs successfully is a great way for you to gain respect.
Set a good example.

[Image credit goes purely to myself and Wikipedia today!]

Coping With Raiders

2009-05-28T04:20:00.000-07:00

The mind of a typical raider has always been strange to that of a normal player. Not in some deep, Freudian way by which their desire to possess mighty swords is symbolic of the fact their dad threatened to cut off their penis at a young age. Rather, they have different priorities than the rest of the playerbase. Usually, their lives are fairly unfulfilling. They may be employed, but their jobs are boring and lifeless. They seek satisfaction through teaming up with like-minded, competent individuals so they can work together towards a goal they all share. When most people start raiding, they get a huge rush of adrenaline, but that wears off over time. The most enthusiastic raiders retain this feeling. Is it because they are yet to accomplish the same sense of accomplishment in real life? You may wager so, but that way of thinking leads us down some very dark paths indeed. When we begin to judge raiders as lifeless loons who can only get off by fighting giant vaginas, then what does that make us guild leaders? I like to think we're a breed of folks who are driven purely by the need to be productive and help others. Then again, others may perceive us as insane control freaks who need to exercise our need to dominate on strangers. Despite me being against stereotyping, I tend to do it a lot on this blog. Just understand that good raiders are essentially different to your average bloke off the street.

GIANT VAGINA, EYEBALL, OR AN OLD GOD? VOTE NOW!

For a start, you'll never really find a raider on the street. Given the choice, most people would stay in and do a few instances than go out for a random walk, especially considering what sporadic weather we've been having recently. Raiders like to raid constantly, for huge blocks of time at once. This doesn't mean that raiders don't have lives. Most do, but they seek self-satisfaction more than your average human being. This means that whatever they do, it's probably a means to an end. They are powered by a natural drive to achieve, which is something all guilds should look to capitalise on. I've spent more than seven thousand words talking about how to motivate your members, but these guys only need a specific goal to get themselves in the mood. That's all you need. Give them the gear and tactics, shove them in a dungeon and they'll plough through it in no time.

This is a 'Raider'. He's angry because you play a Paladin, DON'T YOU!?

Or so you'd think. In fact, these folks are more likely to squabble over the basics than your average player. Take a look around your server. How many raiding guilds are there? Fifteen? Twenty? More? How many are actually making progress at a substantial rate? Five? I will never say that the people who join these establishments are not true raiders at heart, but they seem to lack the brain capacity to really put their dreams into reality. You should never encounter such idiots in your own guild if your screening process is thorough enough, but always prepare for the worst. Their mum could have filled in their application form for them, and their dad could have fluked his way through the TeamSpeak interview. Hell, most guilds only have one of those types of recruitment methods, so it;s statistically likely that you'll end up with a total moron once in a while. Identify and kick. Just don't assume that someone who makes a mistake is likely to cause more trouble. You should know when someone is constantly buggering up and how to get rid of them.

'THROW MOAR DOTS!'

Even folks who have proved themselves to be able in the past may turn out to be tossers once they join your guild. We all know the guy who is just a little too hardcore. If they were a Pokemon, they'd be Gyrados; angry and overpowered. He knows all the tactics and is more purple than a gay rights parade, but is all too quick to remind the rest of the guild of his awesomeness at any opportunity. It's almost as if he's sacrificed part of his humanity in exchange for being a pretty good player. Some people refer to blokes like this as 'cocks'. Others call them 'dedicated'. I brand them as unproductive. When you end up having to sacrifice morale for these blokes, then kick 'em out.

'Oh no! It's a raider with a huge ego!' 'GIVE ME PURPLLLEZZZZZ!'

Once your guild has been going a while, a natural hierarchy will develop within the raiders. There's the lower tier of players, who you drag along to Naxxramas to gear up and get them used to a raiding atmosphere. Then there's a middle tier, where members have some decent epics and know the tactics on most bosses. Or claim they do. These people should make up the majority of your guild, and the skill and gear of the people you recruit should scale with your progress, in order to sustain that progress. When you get people joining who are above the current standard in your guild, you encounter problems. They are used to raid groups that probably don't wipe as much as yours do and have grown accustom to members who know exactly what they're doing. Some of this higher tier are polite and sympathise with the woes of a growing guild. These kind-hearted souls will stick around to help your own guys get up to his standard and therefore improve everyone's life. Unfortunately, most of these more experienced players will simply leave when they realise you can't keep up to their high expectations. You must stoke the fire that warms the heart of every raider, but the more progress they've made in the past, the more coal you're going to have to pile on those flames. Otherwise, they'll proudly point out how superior they are to you and abruptly leave. You don't gain anything out of that, so avoid recruiting people from the higher tiers unless you're very close to nearing their level of experience.

Story of my sex life.

Utilise the natural drive that all raiders have. Once the ball starts rolling, it will take a very long time to stop. This means you must be dedicated to such a cause from the moment you down your first boss. Get into their hearts, and inspire them to fight using their heads. These people are probably just like you, so tie in your own goals with theirs and bond together to make progress.

To summarise:

Raiders are special. Not in a retarded way; they're just passionate about what they do.
They may be a tad sensitive about why they raid. I know a couple who argue all the time, but work together perfectly if you stick them in front of a large monster. They use it as a way of bonding. Or taking out their frustration. All the same, best to keep out of such complicated psyche.
Be wary of the occasional idiot slipping into your ranks. When you spot one, kick them.
Fend off people who consider themselves too good to be in your guild. Their constant whining will do nothing but drag morale down. It's never worth the slight hike in DPS.
Collect momentum. Sometimes a successful guild will continue to motivate itself, given the right circumstances. Good vibes are all you really need.

[Mad props for the images go to: BossKillzahs, this fan site, this other fan site, these Pokemon fanatics and this.]

The Beauty Of Tradition

2009-05-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

A while back, Vaneras started this thread, asking people about their guild traditions. This chapter is an extension of the thoughts and ideas the thread connotes. Take a deek.

A tradition is different to a novel, one-off occurrence. Holding a guild meeting once is different to having one on a weekly basis. The dynamics are different. If you just hold a single event, then it's likely that it will be remembered fondly by everyone who attends. This is because they have nothing to compare it to, so even if the first thing you do with your guild is sit around and get drunk, they'll still approve. Furthermore, promising another event but not actually setting a date for one is a good way to keep people in the guild. When the going gets tough, a small percentage of your members will hang around just to see if you have another event. I only suggest this tactic if you're highly manipulative or facing desperate times. Remember that no one will stick around forever if you keep making empty promises, but the occasional white lie can retain members and help you make progress in key areas. You may have absolutely no intention on holding another in-character piss up, but if you advance with raiding in the meantime, people are likely to be far more forgiving if you reveal you lied to them. Conversely, if your raiding progress goes down the drain, then holding a fun event to raise morale will help considerably. This is what's known as 'plate spinning'; if one area seems to be doing OK, then go fix the other parts of your guild. Just remember to come back to the 'OK area' before it begins to falter.

Skillz that killz.

For good raiding guilds, plate spinning is optional, as most of your members will be simply satisfied with having a basic attachment to their fellows – so long as you're making progress in dungeons. Social guilds who recruit en masse have it harder. There's a good chance your average layman off the street will want to PVP and PVP (and RP depending on your server). This means you'll have to cater for everybody's main interests, and thus 'spin more plates'. Namely, this leads to you having to hold more events to cater for different player archetypes and dedicate more time to the game. Are these events going to be 'traditions'? Perhaps, but if you're forcing yourself to hold them every week, then consider a rethink of what exactly you want from your guild.

So we've established how the odd get-together can be used as a tool to keep people interested in a dwindling guild. Traditions are different from these sorts of events, though. They are more abstract in nature and sometimes can be simply be created spontaneously. Every guild I've ever known of has possessed different traditions, but why is there so much variation? Any muppet can buy some beers from Darkmoon Faire, give them out and have a 'guild party', right? There's little room for difference when it comes to the basics, so why do each guild's traditions tend to be unique from the last?

Come! Dance! Be merry! Engage in casual cybersex!

Unlike most other elements of a guild, leaders only have a small say as to which memes become embedded in a guild's lore. Yes, you can decide on the exact nature of any events and the general direction they take, but it's the masses who decide everything else. Unless you're an RP guild, i'ts very unlikely that social events will take place frequently. Thus, traditions assume other forms. I'm talking about when guilds play certain songs over Ventrillo after each successful boss fight. Or how people 'roll' for the blame after a wipe. When these things are repeated enough without getting annoying, they attain 'tradition' status. As guild leader, you can certainly instigate and encourage such behaviour, but most of the time you'll find that this sort of thing occurs naturally, provided the guild has the right collection of like-minded members.

'AHAHA YO BEARD IS SO FUNNEH'

Does this mean you should allow silliness in hope some funny private joke will be spawned from it? Personally, I don't believe idiocy is ever justified. When a member says or does something genuinely funny that catches on, then give them praise. However, remember that such instances should only occur naturally during the social evolution of your guild. You can give people the tools that subtly aid the creation of good, memorable times. This could even go as far as creating a karaoke channel on your voice chat server. On the other hand, it's a universal fact that the more forced a joke is, the less funny it gets. When people start causing wipes on purpose, or making jokes when you're explaining tactics, then it's time to stop laughing and start kicking.

Traditions will always be used to give guilds a unique sense of identity. What traditions you have are a true reflection of the sort of people who are in your guild. If you have blood rituals every Thursday and Friday nights then your guild's name will become synonymous with 'dark' roleplay. Likewise, singing the Mercenaries 2 theme 'Oh No You Didn't' after every time you kill Kel'Thuzad will demonstrate how you're a collection of fun personalities who are competent at raiding.

Actions speak louder than words. It's all very well claiming you're a bunch of nice chaps who have a smashing good time and kill a good few nasties, but actually going out and doing those things on a regular basis proves just how competent your guild is. Quantifiable progress in PVE/PVP/RP is what will bring guildies together initially, but emotional attachment and giving them a sense of belonging will cause them to stay. Raiding is the heart of most guilds, but the people and the quirky little traditions they create are the soul. Whether its running through old instances for a laugh, or singing along to the Back To The Future soundtrack on TeamSpeak, traditions keep people together in a magical and charming way.

Quite an interesting story behind this one. I searched Google for 'Actions Speak Louder Than Words' and found this epic picture.

You should keep the origins and reasons behind adhering to such behaviour transparent to anyone who asks, so these 'traditions' don't turn into a glorified private joke between a small clique of members. The stranger the activity, the more open you must be about justifying it and its relevance in the guild's history. Even if it's unintentional, elitism will have the opposite effect to what traditions were originally created for and drive the guild apart. There's a difference between the whole guild having a laugh together, and a bunch of cocks giggling at how funny they think they are.

Don't alienate people from any tradition. It doesn't matter if you or one of your subordinates created it. As long as you carry it out on a regular basis (from every day to every year) and i'ts compatible with the general theme of your guild, then traditions can be the deciding factor in whether people stay or go.

To summarise:

Occasional events are used as tools to keep people interested when other aspects of the guild are in decline. Such things are not traditions, but simple methods to raise morale. They are often led by the leader's will alone, not instigated or loved by the collective.
Managing and balancing the frequency of such infrequent events is known as 'plate spinning'. The more casual and social your guild is, the more plates you have to spin in order to keep everybody happy. When you're recruiting people off the street, there's a good chance they'll want to RP, PVP and PVE, so catering for all aspects is about reaching an equilibrium between the three.
When you find yourself being forced to hold events on a weekly basis, then don't consider them 'traditions'; they're chores.
Traditions can vary. They range from actually getting together in-game, to shouting 'YATTA!' whenever Yogg-Saron goes down. As long as you do it frequently and everyone enjoys it, then they're a-OK!
Know when people are taking it too far. A forced joke is never truly funny. Don't be afraid to kick someone if they're simply a cocky git. In fact, anything forced is never really fun. Remember this if you're consciously trying to craft elaborate traditions yourself.
Don't alienate people.
Do remember that traditions are the last step in giving your guild a sense of identity. Provided your guild is big enough and full of nice people, they will occur naturally.

[Image credit, oh, and here too. And here. Yep, and here.]

Tools Of The Trade

2009-04-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Before you begin leading a guild there are some tools and attributes I highly recommend you possess: Courage, motivation and passion are always important, but this chapter is more focused towards stuff like mods and even the in-game interface that will help you on the way to becoming the Ullteemaet Geeld Mastah!11

As you may have already realised, this chapter isn't all that serious or important. Blizzard have done a grand job at implementing a wide range of interface options and add-ons to help guild masters. Little things like Message of the Day and the Calendar can go a long way when used effectively. These other applications listed below will probably give you only a slight increase in efficiency, but sometimes that little extra can go a long way.

Deadly Boss Mods are a great example of getting a big result out of a small thing. Do you really need to know the exact number of seconds before your battleground starts? No, because you should always be prepared to fight. Likewise, any idiot with an ounce of competence can see who turns into an ice block on the Sapphiron fight without it having to be yelled in your face. To me, DBM users have always appeared to be a bit on the slack or lazy side. I use it myself, especially when I can't be arsed sustaining constantly high levels of energy when tanking for a PuG. So while there may be a feeling that this set of mods makes everything a little easy, there's really no reason not to use DBM. After all, what's the harm in having something that makes raiding (and some aspects of PVP) easier? Just note that observant, focused folks shouldn't need it as much as the idiots. As a guild leader, you wouldn't normally brand yourself as someone who needs such help from a mod, but remember that half your time in raids will be spent running through tactics, dealing with drama and delegating loot. Anything that makes the actual fighting aspect easier should be welcomed, as it allows you to focus on more pressing matters. Mods such as this are built to take the strain off those with pea-sized brains, or players who are just distracted. Don't be like I was. Don't snub DBM off without trying it out; you may find it makes life a lot easier for you.

Auctioneer (and its many, many accessories) is also a good mod to consider. Basically, it scans your server's auction house, finds the median price for all the items on it and then makes suggestions for what you should do with your own goods. Usually this involves putting junk up for only slightly more than you'd vendor them for, but extra money is extra money! It's dough you can put back into the guild. Whether it's dumping it in the bank, or giving it out to specific needy individuals, having money will naturally empower you and people are more likely to respect you if possess more cash than the average guild master. This is a bit of an over-simplification and it's likely people will only suck up to you in vain hopes of getting their own grubby hands on some of your fortune. All the same, Auctioneer is a very useful mod, especially considering how dynamic most server economies can be. Auctioneer always you to keep up with the competition, and is vital if you want to sell stuff on a regular basis.

Recount is often used by overly self-conscious DPSers to make sure they're not doing less damage than the bloody tank. Even if they're performing badly, it allows them to form a pre-emptive excuse as to why. These range from blaming it on their talent build to server lag. This doesn't mean that an intelligent guild leader can't make effective use of it, though. Recount doesn't only measure overall damage output of the raid, but also tracks average damage per second. This allows you to see who inflicts constantly high amount of pain upon their enemies, and who feels they can just nuke on the main bosses and then retire. I'm against party or raid leaders singling out people low on the meter and shouting at them to step up their game, but you should observe which members are falling behind and aim to gear them up, or force them to respecc appropriately. Furthermore, Recount is a great way of measuring the success of other classes. Stuff like overhealing and interrupts made are also tracked. This means if you keep wiping on certain bosses and don't know why, this mod can help you see where the raid is going wrong.

If any of you feel like I've missed out any essential add-ons, then feel free to plug them in the comments. In my next article, I intend to detail how guild leaders can rely on in-game resources to make their lives a little easier.

To summarise:

Deadly Boss Mods can make raiding on the whole a lot easier and allows you to multitask.
Auctioneer can make you rich, providing its used well.
Recount provides quantifiable evidence as to who is slacking, and who is playing well.

All the mods and screenshots here are properties of their creators.

Attachments

2009-04-03T05:08:00.000-07:00

Recruiting is easy. Provided you follow one of the many recommended techniques in my article and use your own skills effectively, the people that you want to join should come flooding in. It's a simple process and this explains why the shittest guild on your server is still able to get members. The most difficult task you’ll face with new recruits is trying to get them to form an attachment to the guild. When people have a connection to a cause they feel strongly about, or a group of people who are worth caring for, they are more likely to contribute and fight for that particular set of ideas. Attachment has been used as a technique to secure bonds between people for thousands of years, and still applies to family units today – right from birth. One of the key ideas behind a child establishing such a connection with a mother is that the former can provide for the latter during her old age. With the advent of retirement homes, this relationship has really turned into a one-way street, namely with the mother caring for the child during the early years of its life, without any real return later on.

Should you expect some sort of material payback from members once a connection has been established? That’s up to how you feel. Depending on how nice they are, you may receive gifts of gold and a selection of valuable items. Then again, most members will do nothing more to show their appreciation than occasionally speak in guild chat and show up for raids or other events. You must understand that, although you’ll try to create positive feelings between everyone in the guild, all members will react differently. Some people will perceive themselves worth more than they actually are, and consider simply logging on each day to be a privilege to you. Others will see being in the guild as a great pleasure, freely giving up their time and gold at any opportunity to help you out. Usually, if people have not had to go through some sort of application process, they’ll act the first way. Consider that you’ll get stubborn or more willing people no matter where you go. Even if you’re in the strictest and elitist guild on the server, be assured that there’s likely to be a few kind-hearted souls in there, but also some people who will turn up just for raiding. People like to think they’re unique and display behaviour that hopefully make us believe that they are. Despite this, there are still some strategies you can apply to get everyone involved and rooting for the guild.

Not sure what this picture has to do with anything, but I thought LAG needed some more sex.

The first step is getting members to relate to you. When they join, it’s likely they’ll have just been forced into a new community they know nothing about. Their only friends in this brave, new world will either be their referees and friends already in the guild, or you. Building a connection immediately is essential, as it's within the first few days of joining that they’ll build their impression of the guild, and decide if they wish to stay or not. If you are not clear on the goals of your guild when initially recruiting, it is likely that new members will find themselves joining under incorrect perceptions. When finding that they want something from the game that you can’t offer as a guild, they will quit regardless of how deep the connection you build with them is. Prevent this from running by the main points of your guild’s overall plan to any new members.

'Right folks, we attack Durotar from here, here and here.'
'Sir, that's a picture of England and France.'

Don’t be afraid to approach people individually. This attribute will prove it's worth when it comes to actually applying the following steps, but always bear in mind that it’s better to approach people separately, in private, than within full view of everyone else. Not everyone is as confident as yourself and bringing unnecessary attention to people who don’t really like it will annoy them. Discretion is always important. Whether you’re disciplining someone, or giving them praise, there is no reason to make it a huge thing that involves all of guild chat. Certainly, it’s one thing to make an example out of a situation, but it;s another to go through the process every time someone pisses you off, or does the opposite. Embarrassing someone in front of the guild, no matter what the reason, will bring negative results.

Making large gestures of love to all new guildies may seem like a good idea, but sometimes a more subtle approach is needed. Try some of the following strategies and see how they work out for you.

Send them gifts.

When someone is performing well in a guild, or simply seems to have settled down well, it's good to send them gifts. Don't shower them like they're the son of God, but sometimes an appropriate, charming item in the mail will really cheer them up. Yeah, they can probably use the guild bank to draw something out at their convenience, but giving them something directly with no need for any implied repayment helps reach out and connect with good members.

Cut down on ‘grats’ spam.

Initially, wishing someone congratulations when they level or gain an achievement will seem like a great way to promote positivity. Too much can cause the opposite effect, however. Some people don't like to be embarrassed by people commenting on every little thing they achieve and others may find it annoying that someone is praised for reaching level 10 on their alt. You may not totally condemn such behaviour, but I'd definitely promote cutting down on it.

Don’t be afraid to make nicknames.

Avoid patronising nicknames, like calling someone of a low-level 'n00bie' or 'lower' or something. For your officers, maybe even branch out into calling them based off their playing style, personality and class. 'Snake' would fit really well with someone who is sly and manipulative, or just likes Metal Gear Solid. 'Lion' for a natural leader who displays loyalty to the guild, or they may even just have bushy hair. You can read as far into this as you wish. In the end, giving nicknames make you seem playful and helps your members simply like you more. Just draw a line if people start calling each other negative names with no real explanation.

Remember that the ultimate goal of all this is to build up an open, community atmosphere from the word 'go', without having to reduce yourselves to team-building activities (a la Severance). I encourage you to try all of the techniques listed, but sometimes a member will simply not catch on and invest themselves back into the guild. I guess the best you can hope for in this situation, is that they eventually change their minds over time and fall in love with the guild naturally. Just bare in mind Eleanor Roosevelt's famous line, 'Don't spend major time with minor people'. Learn to judge if people can be bribed into being committed to your guild and leave them alone if they can't.

The final tip in this section is about what you should be feeling. Although a good guild leader will go to just about any lengths to get their members friendly with one another, it is important he or she never becomes too attached to one particular individual. Think of this mindset as the 'Nursing Home Manager' complex. Pretend you're actually running a centre for the very elderly or terminally ill. Yes, make their time as thoroughly enjoyable and comfortable as possible, but always remember that they can be taken away at any moment, either through their own choice or powers beyond their control. You should always mourn the passing of an officer or active member (and even ask them why they left), but learn to simply not worry if a randomer leaves and refuses to comment on exactly why. Sometimes people are just arseholes. Do worry if people begin leaving in their droves. You should actively seek out the problem and find a solution immediately if this occurs.

Never react in a way that could potentially harm the reputation of your guild further. If you take some time to gather your thoughts and approach the leaver with respect and compassion, its worth the delay. However, if your blood just boils in the time between them leaving and you questioning them, then I encourage you to make any post-guild conversation as brief as possible, or don't have one at all. Sometimes it's better to simply let go than to satisfy your curiosity. Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things.

To summarise:

Creating some sort of relationship with all guild members is essential if your guild hopes to survive in the long run.
Approaching people to get them involved on a personal level is more effective than constantly broadcasting the need to communicate with each other in guild chat.
Shitty gifts are better than no gifts!
Shitty nicknames are not better than no nicknames!
Pointless 'grats' spam is not really that productive.
Have your members be attached to you, but remember the 'Nursing Home Complex'; they could be taken away at any time.
As we've seen in the 'Professionalism' article, being indifferent is better than being a flaming ball of rage.

[Now for where I got my madd pixx from. Here, here, here, here and here.]

Recruiting

2009-03-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Despite what you may have believed in the past, recruiting is easy. Recall that this blog is about managing a guild, not about getting people to join up. Keeping members in line is a hundred times harder than actually recruiting them. As a leader, you must be a master of social dynamics and the systems that make people tick. As a recruiter, all you have to do is publicise your guild, approach people directly and throw in some abstract adjectives to help sway their minds. There's not a lot to it once you've mastered the basics and you'll soon find recruiting to be a necessary chore, rather than something to dread outright.

The first thing to consider is what strategy you wish to apply. Recruiting en masse when starting up may seem like a good idea but it really comes down to the type of guild you're running. PVP generally doesn't require a huge amount of active, dedicated members. Usually a few, decently geared folks who can take orders and sign on every few days does the trick. With the advent of Wintergrasp, honour and rewards are common as mud. Still, you and your guildies can always bond over the love of slaughtering the other faction, right?

Oh look! The Horde has the WSG flag! What's new?

PVE guilds require people with high levels of natural talent and ability. Grabbing players right off the streets of Dalaran may not be the best way to ensure you get decent people. You'll generally find that unguilded people on your server are the ones with the least intelligence.

This is exactly the problem RP guilds have with drawing people in on a large scale. You don't want someone who can barely type English turning up to prestigious events filled with the great Stormwind cliques. Roleplayers are a culture built around literacy. Inviting people who can't keep up to the high standards expected of them is a fine way to get a bad reputation.

No comment.

Traditionally, I've formed 'event' guilds: We dabble in all sorts of business, from venturing into Naxxramas, to killing leaders of the Horde and jumping off the Twin Colossus in Feralas. The nature of my guilds allows just about anyone who has their head screwed on properly to join. That doesn't mean you should apply such a lax attitude when drawing in your own members, however. As always, diligence and patience are necessities when screening new folks, but that doesn't mean you can't attract interest on a wide scale.

Let's go through some basic methods of getting people interested:

Message people off the street.

Do you know how those ridiculously crap guilds get so many members? Because their recruiters are brilliant. These people have absolutely no shame. They just whisper whoever is around and unguilded, and ask them to join up. They'll tell you that they get rejected most of the time, but they get a buzz from when someone does say yes. There are various ways of directly approaching people, from inviting them straight-up, to striking up a light conversation beforehand. Obviously the latter technique takes up more time, but has a far better success rate. In order to increase your chances, try going out and picking up people with a wingman. Hell, make a game out of getting more recruits than your mate. Just be warned that dragging in randomers means that they'll not hesitate to flake on you if they don't like the guild and even if they stick around there's a chance they'll be shit.

Advertise on the realm forums.

This is something all new guilds should do, regardless of the playerbase they wish to attract. Create a short, concise post about the kind of players you need, what you do and what type of people are already in your guild. Then either forward people to your website or forum if they need to fill in an application, tell them to post on the thread if they're interested, or ask them to contact you in-game. You may feel that only a small percentage of the server's population reads the stuff on the realm forum, but be assured that these are probably the best and most well-connected players around.

Send random people gifts with nice messages.

When farming for gold, or building up profession skills, you'll end up with a load of junk that you can't sell on the Auction House, even if you try to move it for exceptionally low prices. Instead of destroying this sort of stuff, /who low level players and send it off to them in the mail. Tell them you're the great spirit guide of Azeroth or something and the forty Solid Stone you just lumped them with will become vital in their future quest for glory. Then directly plug your guild or its website. A lot of people will take this in good humour, and may ask to join your guild. Even if you don't get a reply from any of the folks you send the 'gifts' to, be assured that you're helping build a fine, altruistic reputation for your guild.

Create a trailer.

While I recommend commissioning a decent machinima studio to create one for you if you have the money, even videos that look like appalling AS Media projects can still be effective. Just be a little more novel than making a video of yourself PVPing with a trial of Fraps and before slapping the name of your guild on a title card at the end. Try to make your video seem as epic and professional as possible. Even if it turns out to be really corny, this technique is still better than not having any sort of video at all.

Join a fairly successful guild, stage a coup and get the decent players to join a new guild - under your command.

I will never approve of purposely sabotaging other guilds just because you want to create your own, but sometimes this can happen naturally. If you ever find yourself in a fairly successful guild with great members but appalling leadership and think you can do better, then take a chance and speak your mind. It's likely that if you're not satisfied, then a few others won't be either. Identify and talk with these sorts of people. Make a judgement and decide if they're really willing to come with you to start a new, better establishment. When you have certified their loyalty, then pop out discreetly (wish the people who remain behind the best of luck; no need to be bitter/arrogant) and send the leader of the guild you leave a link to this website.

Lol.

Sometimes just doing stuff and attaining positive publicity will cause players to come to you in a steady stream even if you're not actively recruiting. When this begins to happen, shift your focus away from attracting quantities of people to building on quality members. What's the point in having 300 characters in your guild if only 10 are online at a time and 5 actually participate in activities? Having some sort of screening process in place is important, whether it's simply an in-game interview, one on TeamSpeak, or an application on your website. Having potential new members jump through even the simplest of hoops makes sure they're ready to comply with your greater requests and are able to naturally motivate themselves.

To summarise:

Recruiting is easy. Approach people with open arms and an open mind and they'll return the favour.
There are many ways to advertise your guild. Experiment with which is the right one for you.
While drawing in the numbers is important at first, try to phase out the idiots over time.

[Image credits in no particular order: 1, 2, 3, 4]

If any of you need any macros or forum posts proof-reading, then feel free to e-mail me with them. Remember to leave your thoughts in the comments, people!

Banking

2009-03-14T03:26:00.000-07:00

This chapter will focus on what to do with your guild bank, surprisingly.

One hundred gold is a lot of money. Give that amount to anyone below level twenty and they will love you forever. Or at least until they burn it all on enchantments and a mount later on. Even to a level eighty, it's still a lot of money. We have to train up professions, deal with repair bills and a multitude of other things. Why on Earth, then, should a guild master waste one hundred gold (or however much your respective game charges - but I'm going to focus on WoW) by creating a guild bank?

Now you may be thinking 'Hang on! Are you saying that we shouldn't have guild banks!?'. Reassuringly, I'm not suggesting anything of the sort. I actively encourage any organisation, regardless of size, to get a bank. Now Blizzard have finally implemented a way in which you can safely monitor the ongoings of such a useful feature, there is absolutely no reason why you can't take advantage of it. A good guild should be utilising a bank from the get-go, because if you're not, its a waste of a hundred gold. I insist that everyone should have access to at least one tab. The moment they join, they should be able to withdraw money and gold (even if it's only a stack of items and one gold per day).

You should tie in ranks with banking, too. The main monetary motivation behind people pursuing a promotion will be the ability to access more of the bank. Higher ranks should have greater freedom over the bank, from the amount of gold they can take out, to the tabs they can see. By giving people the right to withdraw from the moment they get into the guild will only make them want more and more. How do they get more? By contributing to the guild and pleasing you in order to rank up, of course! You are giving people an instant return for their own investment in the guild and loyalty builds as a result. Therefore, when it comes to them deciding if they want to stay in the guild or not, the bank (and how well it's handled) will weigh heavily in such an analysis.

However, if everyone has access to the bank from Day One, you're going to run into some security issues. These can be easily avoided if you follow these tips:

Keep an eye on the logs.

There are two logs which come with a guild bank. One tracks items whilst the other handles money. Anything that goes in or out will be detailed and it is your job to keep an eye on that information. By seeing what gets withdrawn, who withdraws it and at what time, you can find out a lot about your guild. Is someone using up their entire gold limit each day? Is someone else putting in a lot of gold without taking any out, and therefore actively demonstrating their allegiance to the guild? People should be sanctioned or rewarded for their guild bank activity as they would if they behaved well or badly during an event. Furthermore, checking up on the flow of money and items in the guild assures that their security is not compromised.

Don't be afraid to approach people if you see any abnormal activity.

Obviously if someone is blatantly stealing from the guild at any given opportunity, then kick them. However, such extreme measures can be avoided just by talking to problematic people. Send them a whisper (or mail if they're not online) stating kindly that you're not a charity, that they are expected to put back just as much as they take out and politely inquire as to what they're actually doing with all that money and/or items. A lot of people will simply not reply, but cease their negative actions outright. If they do not change their ways, kick them. The other side of this is if you see someone putting in a lot of useful goods, or boosting the gold coffers. Don't be afraid to congratulate an individual who is willing to sacrifice their own fortune for the good of the guild.

Keep the really valuable stuff locked away.

Anything that is of any real worth to the guild should be safely stored in the higher security tabs. Never give anyone other than yourself full access to the bank and only your most trusted members should have the ability to view and withdraw from all tabs. This works in the best interest of security and gives your lower ranking members something to work towards. No one can be totally trusted and I'm sure there's many testimonies out there about how a naïve guild master gave full banking privileges to a subordinate, only for them to totally empty the bank and transfer away from the server. Trust members, but always exercise a level of caution.

As for what exactly you should< keep in your guild bank; that's up to you. Since everyone appears to be respeccing their professions at a moment's notice nowadays, reagents for all purposes should be freely available. Don't worry about filling up your tabs the second you buy them, though. Remember that its a guild bank, and given the fact you've probably spent lots of money already on self-improvement to lead the guild efficiently, let your guildies fill up the storage with what they want. Obviously if your space becomes full of grey and useless items, then take action. Otherwise just let people do what they wish. Give people the freedom and the option to donate, and they will.

To summarise:

Only open a bank if you're willing to let everyone use it.
Everyone should have access from the moment they join, albeit a very small amount.
The ability to make use of more parts of the bank is a huge incentive for people to fight over a promotion. This leads them acting in a way that is beneficial to you and the guild.
Check your logs daily, in order to see who is withdrawing what and to make sure security is not compromised.
Communicate. A guildie who donates gold should be rewarded, whereas one which takes without giving should be punished. Talk it over with troublesome individuals and try to find a solution.

[Image credits: The Piggy Bank pic, the Guild Bank Shot, that great picture of Northern Rock]

Think

2009-02-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

This is a very basic introduction to leading a guild. It focuses more on the mindset you have to possess, rather than 'physical' attributes.

The very first thing you should do, before you're anywhere near to starting a guild, is think. Think if you have the time to log on every day and manage your little gang. Think if you can manage recruiting drives which can last days at a time without anything really to show for it. Think if you can deal with guild drama. Think if you can lead a guild and receive zero gratitude. Think why you're starting a guild.

For instance, if you're establishing one simply so you can get a few randomers together and farm loot for yourself, then that's a fair goal. Still, consider that there is going to be at least twenty other guilds on your server that are focused towards raiding and are probably far more competent and experienced than a guild that's just starting will ever be. Do you truly have to start your own thing, or can you just join one of these other guilds? If not, why not? Is your gear too bad? Then how on Azeroth do you think you'll be able to lead your own raids in bad equipment? Do you have a bad attitude? Then it's likely that your guild members will like you even less than the folks in the big guilds did.

Running a guild is a lot like being a politician anyway. Except with less lying.

Wish to PVP? Are you starting a guild to go hunt down the other faction? You fond of pre-mades and want one regularly? Well what's stopping you from mailing a few people you already know and setting up a pre-made battleground group on a weekly basis? That way they can still stay within their respective guilds and you get your kicks while knowing that the people you're partying with will respect what you have to say. This could also be applied to raiding, but it's likely that even your most closest friends will feel more comfortable PVEing with their guild than you alone. Not only are they with people they know and trust, but PVP is also a Hell of a lot easier than its monster-killing counterpart. As such, it also can get boring quickly; which is why guilds that form simply for the point of grinding honour and arena points fall apart after only a short period of time without the proper amount of care and ambition, especially given the typically short attention spans that PVPers possess. Can you provide a constantly high level of energy and drive to keep a guild like that up and moving in the right direction?

'HAY GUILD LEADA. ALTHO IM A HUNTA IM GONNA SAVE MY HONAH 4 A 2-HANDED SWORD THAT K?'

RP guilds require the most tenderness and time than PVE and PVP guilds put together in order to be successful. You must be on form for every second you're online. It's going to be up to you to organise events. Up to you to stimulate sporadic RP. It's your duty to form alliances with other guilds and make sure everyone co-operates on a similar level. Finally, it's up to you to bust balls if you catch anyone out of character when they're not supposed to be. RP leaders have a reputation of being arrogant egotists for a reason; if they can't take what they do seriously, then who can? Are you sure you're happy with having to constantly be a hard-liner?

You have to take all of these sorts of factors into account when starting up. Whatever your chosen forte, each comes with its own set of issues. They are inescapable. In fact, you'll probably face a thousand other problems too. Start by realising exactly why you want to run a guild before you go onto making it a reality. Better to think now and face up to stuff than realise you're doing it for the wrong reasons three months down to the line or – even worse – during a crisis. There is no need to take every single niggling detail into account at this stage, but unless you have your mind truly set on the art of guild leadership, then you're royally screwed. At times, this passion is going to be the only thing that keeps you from disbanding the guild, so make sure you possess it in huge amounts.

YOU ARE PASSIONATE. BE A PASSION FRUIT. BE TENDER WITH A STICKY CENTER. YOU HEARD!

Finally, you need to come equipped with the skills and maturity to lead a set of people. People, especially at high levels, are likely to be aware of the traits and quirks that make a leader. We've all been in one of those dire sorts of guilds before, where the officers have all the combined organisational skills of an amputee lizard. This blog will help you refine your skills and teach you how to lead effectively, but you will always require talent and direction. If you're already swayed and wondering if you should start a guild from these opening paragraphs, then don't be disheartened. Learn to cope with criticism and just because I've probably branded your chosen guild type as idiotic, it doesn't mean that I genuinely feel that way, or that it's a personal attack upon you. Grow used to nay-sayers and become desensitised to unfounded attacks at your own ideas.

'I say old boy! I do believe we may have to consider raiding!'

This blog is about helping build your own personality. I can't teach you how to feel committed. I can't tell you what to do. You must learn to be focused, and decide exactly what you want to do before stepping into action. During World War 2, Hitler used to watch American films until 3AM and sleep in until the next afternoon. Churchill used to read entire chapters of books before bed and drank pretty heavily during the day. Why did they both display such strange and unprofessional behaviour during a pivotal time in world history? It helped them think. I'm not saying go get drunk, watch Top Gun and then read Anna Karenina, but take things slowly. Sometimes participating in hobbies that you love can help clear your focus.

To summarise:

Think.
Be clear about what sort of guild you want to start.
Get used to criticism. Desensitise yourself.

[Image credit: thinking..., President, Passion Fruits, Arrow Shooting and Criticism]

Introduction

2009-02-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

The name's Pierre. Pierre Goldbloom, to be precise. This is my blog. Providing I do my job properly, it will teach you everything you need to know about leading a guild. This isn't going to be two posts about how to get signatures to start a mediocre attempt at a raiding guild. This is about building communities and improving the lives of everyone you come into contact with. Whether you're just starting out or a veteran guild master, you can learn something from this site.

Please be aware that most of my experience and examples are drawn from playing World of Warcraft (WoW), although some of the bigger themes here can applied to other games - and even real-life management.

Unlike forum gurus such as Wytch and Ashling on the US WoW forums or Maelmoor and Leonora on the EU ones, I think differently. These gurus provide rational, general advice that can be applicable to almost anyone in the situations they describe. Folks like these deserve massive kudos for counseling people in Guild Relations. Leading A Guild is does not function like a forum topic, however. Although I encourage everyone to comment on my posts in the appropriate section, you'll realise quickly that I definitely have my own way of doing things. I'm a quasi-fascist and objectivist, but I like to think both of these beliefs shine through positively in my entries.

By reading this blog you are agreeing to my good humour agreement. Sometimes I may seem outwardly hostile to a strategy you or your guild have been applying. Do not take personal offence to this. Leading A Guild is all about providing alternate solutions to familiar problems. I am not saying your method doesn't work, but some guilds may find my way better. Heck, sometimes I just joke around with some topics. I'm trusting you, as a reader and potential commentator, to re-read anything I've said that's upset you before making a comment on it. I reserve the right to delete any comments I find disrespectful or truly unhelpful.

Initially I'll try to update the blog twice every month. I'm going to keep it open until 2010, but if you guys really end up liking what I write, then I'll expand into the next year.

If you'd love to argue with my techniques, make a guest post, want a one-on-one consultation or wish to advertise on this site, mail me.

I always credit images that are brought in from other sites.

Thank you, and enjoy!