The Guide to Guilds

[Tisem]

'Allo, welcome to probably my first 'official' guide. I've got tons of mini guides scattered around the forum that I accidentally create when writing a post.



So, I've gathered all those miniguides to create one big guide on tips for creating, starting, running, and keeping a guild, clan, club, group going!



I'm going to divide it into sections for those people who are just having specific problems:


Creating the Guild: What to do before putting it into action

Starting the Guild: How to make a guild intersting; front page, name, etc...

Running the Guild: Getting the people you need, members, etc...

Keeping the Guild: Roadblocks, problems, etc...

Others: Important tips on other stuff



Ok, let's get started here.

Creating the Guild
What todo before putting it into action

Ok, so you have this great idea for a guild right? And you just have to make it before someone else does. Good, you have an idea.

But before you click that "New Thread" button, think about it.

♪Will the guild interest people?
♪Will the guild help people?
♪Can you control a guild?

Now that you've half-conciously mulled these thoughts over in your head. Lets get started.

Starting a Guild
How to make a Guild interesting

Guild Names

Now, the first thing of making a guild, is making he thread. And the first thing of making a thread, is making a title.

You're title is going to say what your guild is in a title sense. Meaning, the Clan Name should have some kind of meaning to what the guild is about.

If you seem to have a name in your head already, there are a few ways to do this.

♪Make an acronym

An acronym is a series of letters that are the initials of something

Example: *CCG*=Cold Callers Guild

Acronyms tend to help your guild name get around often so that people aren't always typing: soandso cold callers guild, people just like it short and sweet.

Also, try not to make the acronym too long. I recommend no more than 4 letters

Yet, other guilds have other names.

But, other guilds have different clan names.

"Meet the..." seems to be introducing an uber guild for some reason thinking of the JLs and Anitas

Try coming up with unique names to name your guild.

Maybe add some symbols before and after your guild name to add style

Example: ~*>The Bob Guild<*~

For your clan name, just AVOID these certain things, and you'll be sure to get some attention

♪Try to use full capitalization

Yes:The Cog Crunchers
No: the cog crunchers
No: tHE cOG cRUNCHERS

♪Have the knowledge to atleast know how to spell your own guild's name

And absolutely do NOT put 'join my clan'
this will ruin your delivery and 1st impression, and will give the exactly opposite reaction you want.

Front Page

The front page is just as important as the title, probably more.

You want an interesting and colorful frontpage. A blank boring one tends to get users to lose interest.

Welcoming

If you're just looking for one of those friendly welcome posts on what your guild is about, do so. This gives the reader a warmer feel, and would want them want to join the guild more.

So, moral of section above:

♪Have a friendly, welcoming, as if you're talking to the person reading it post.

♪Tell what your guild is about in an interesting way

♪Please please please use good spelling and grammar.

Organizing

Keep the page organized. This gives everybody a sense of direction and handles confusion.

If you have schedules, make them plain in sight so everyone knows where to look. I recommend putting them at the top of the post where it's right there as soon as they click the thread.

♪Put schedules plain in sight and make them easily understandible

♪Keep things organized

♪Post updates and upcoming stuff

Pizzaz

Every guild needs some extras that give a sense of completion and coloration

Maybe add some color to your text, or put it in a different font.

ALWAYS get a logo for your clan. As it said in Cheezdude's Art Shop Guide, ALWAYS have a logo, and don't change it. Once you have it, stick with it. Include Guild colors in it (if you have guild colors)

Get Avitars, Userbars, and Sigs for all your supporting fans, as well as for you to wear if you want. Get a good art shop to make them for you, and specify on exactly what you want. Please don't just goto a friend's freshly openned MS Paint shop (sorry to those people that have Paint Shops), i highly recommend going to an experienced Photoshop Art Shop. If you goto them, they make it look professional grade.

Get Art Shops or other Guilds to sponsor you. And you sponsor people on your Guild. The advertising gets people to find out about your guild. This also lets you show the fellow guilds around you that your not competing.

♪Add color and design to your text

♪Get a logo

♪Get Guild Merchandise

♪Do NOT post your guild website if you made one. Check with the mods first. And if they say no, accept it

♪Sponsor. Get people to sponsor you. And get you sponsor people.

Running the Guild
Getting the people you need

Running a guild takes skill, organization, control, and determination. Chances are, you are missing one or more of these qualities; I know I am. So the most important thing to running a guild is friends. You'll always needs friends to help you out to replace those skills you lack. I myself in the GTTG have a whole council in which my friends are.

Leaders

If you're going to have a Co, or Vice Leader of your Guild, make sure they can help you, that you can depend on your friend and vice versa, and that you can trust them. Make sure you two can settle differences between each other. Always make sure you have back-up when you're not there.

Members

Your members are what make your guild worth while. Listen to your members. If they have suggestions, comments, or questions, listen to them. Members usually have the best knowledge of what can be better, because they are the ones involved in the activity of the Guild.

If you have schedules, try to make them flexible for your members so they can make it to whatever the runs are. Have the thing that the schedule is scheduling more than one a day to get those people who need the 'second chance' because they couldn't make the other one. (I only recommend multiple times as it gets bigger. Otherwise, less people will goto each individual session)

Competition

You will run into competition at some point. Either one of those "They made a guild about the same thing as me" or "One of those guilds that just gets under your skin"

Competition between Guilds can get messy. So don't cross into enemy lines by flamming them in their thread, or your thread, or pm, or anywhere. This can lead to trouble. Getting into a flame war between two Guilds is dangerous and could get both Guilds in trouble with the site staff, and that's not good.

If you feel a Guild is copying you, talk it over with them first to make sure. If you are positive that they copied you and you have sturdy proof, contact a mod, they will clear things up.

♪Get a trustworthy co/vice leader

♪Listen to your members

♪Don't start a flame war with another guild

Keeping the Guild
When things are looking down

In every guild, there will come a time where they have a BB (Brink of Breaking). This usually occurs when they have a little amount of members, or many inactive ones, or the guild is falling apart.

To fix the member issue, advertise more. Get sponsored. If it's not that, it'll probably just take time.

If the guild is falling apart (I've had personal experience with this) and you actually feel afraid to go on the forums to see what people have pm you for the Guild's current state. Try changing your system. If it's falling apart, it's usually the system you're currently using to organize your guild. So if you have a schedule, try changing the way the schedule works.

Always ask your friends for help. They can give you personal advice and comfort if things aren't going well.

♪Get Sponsored

♪Change your system

♪Ask for friends' help

♪Never give up on your guild!

Other tips and pointers

Ok, I'm just going to copy and paste one of those 'mini guides' here, then yank out the main tips.

I suggest running only one clan for a while, and put all of your efforts into that clan to make it exceptional and to get more members. Trust me, if you try making more than one clan at a time when you're not ready or when you can't handle both clans, most of the time, if one clan suffers, so does the other one. And many times, the second one you make doesn't get noticed, and you end up putting your time and energy into the 2nd one you made and end up neglecting the first one, therefore not getting members from the 2nd guild, and losing members from the first. Trust me, the GTTG has been here since August, and I've seen some good clans go down the drain because of the clan leaders of other guilds starting multiple clans. This usually leads to disaster.

My 2 cents: If you're making another guild because your trying to more people to join your 1st guild, or if you just had an idea of a clan from long ago in the back of your head, or just had a fresh inspiration, I wouldn't start multiple clans because of the ideas. I recommend if you want more members, create a Clan Logo/Sig with a link in the pic to goto your clan thread, and advertise on art shops or other guilds (with their consent first of course).

If your just had a new idea and you want to make a new guild out of that, don't create another guild. Try merging that idea into your 1st guild, or make it like a sub-guild in your guild.

If all of this doesn't agree with you, and you absolutly want to start a 2nd guild, by alll means go ahead. But have a partner to help yuou run both guilds, or have you run the 1st guild and your partner run the second. And make sure you choose a partner you can count on and trust.

Last of my tips: never quit on your guild. If things are looking down, and you feel that your guild will just die, keep tryingl; the hard work usually pays off. And even if you thiink your clan will never get noticed, it usually just takes time for people to get to know the point a benefits of your guild.



♪Don't make 2 Guilds; make the 2nd one a branch or the 1st, or have a friend run the 2nd one

♪Put all your efforts into your 1st clan

♪Don't make another thread for your guild. These things below don't apply though
*The person who originally made the thread doesn't update the thread anymore
*The thread was closed from spam from other people (Ask a mod about reopenning first though

Making a second thread for the same clan tends to get ignored, thus, you lose your first thread, and the second thread doesn't get noticed.


Well, I hope this guide helps anyone who needs it. And I hope people need it and I didn't just spend 2 hours writing a guide for the Archive section. 0.o

Good Luck

♪{Tisem}♪

[ViLlAiN]

*applauds* nice guide, Tisem.

Hmm... I think there should be something on:

What will your guild be about?

Just pointing that out, otherwise, nice guide!

[Princess Missy]

This is AMAZING!!!!! I think a lot of guild owner's should read this..

[Tisem]

Originally Posted by Twinklemash

*applauds* nice guide, Tisem.

Hmm... I think there should be something on:

What will your guild be about?

Just pointing that out, otherwise, nice guide!

Originally Posted by Princess Missy

This is AMAZING!!!!! I think a lot of guild owner's should read this..

Thanks you two. And Twinkmash, I'll do that now. I never thought of the people who want to make a guild, but don't know what to make it about.

[kid nino]

wow thats an awesome guide

[ViLlAiN]

Originally Posted by Tisem

Thanks you two. And Twinkmash, I'll do that now. I never thought of the people who want to make a guild, but don't know what to make it about.

Yup, I'm one of them. :/

[Tisem]

I no this is over a month old, but I just want those newer people to the whole guild making thing, know how todo it right the first time, and how to keep it.

[Blinky Trickyspinner]

And absolutely do NOT put 'join my clan'

this will ruin your delivery and 1st impression, and will give the exactly opposite reaction you want.

I think this is very important. NO ONE wants to be told what to do no matter who you are.

The front page is just as important as the title, probably more.

You want an interesting and colorful frontpage. A blank boring one tends to get users to lose interest.

So I like your guide and stuff but you mentioned the front page needs to be colorful but yours isn't lol

[Tisem]

Originally Posted by Blinky Trickyspinner

I think this is very important. NO ONE wants to be told what to do no matter who you are.



So I like your guide and stuff but you mentioned the front page needs to be colorful but yours isn't lol

Well, I mean as in totally blank.

GTTG has sigs, logos, pics and stuff like that.

But I'll go and spitz it up a bit anyway.


Thanks for the compliments!

[Tisem]

Uhhh...Bump?

[crewe129]

yeah i read this a couple days ago and im planning on fixing my clan up a bit more. i thought this is really good for young clan starters!

[Cheezdude]

Art Shop guide? Lol, it's a Shop owning guide or, "For those shop owners..." xD


Anyways, Awesome guide!