Tidbits of Informationby "Cedric(GoH)"July 24, 2006 (Last updated on May 26, 2007)I can honestly say to you the most difficult time in a clan's history is when the clan gets itself off the ground and in between games(hibernation I call it). If you develop a strong relationship and open means of communication you're guild is golden.
Forum presence is the most vital part of any clan. In game presence is important but if you are able to pull people out of the game and get to know them personally they will become like brothers/sisters. Building a relationship with every guild member is important. It is important to keep every member on their toes. Bringing new and exciting topics to your forums on a regular basis is another great thing. People NEED a reason to keep coming back and they want to always feel part of. If you violate either of these you're in for trouble.
As of recent, I've discovered that one of the most important tools of keeping a clan together and successful is live voice chat; such as Ventrilo or Teamspeak. Having voice communication doesn't prevent people from leaving or even arguing but it is a vital tool in the success of a clan. Problems/arguments can be solved VERY quickly in real time. It is important to have several people in the channel at once during the time argument/problem is being solved. For this very reason one side cannot pervert the other side.
Often times typing is misunderstood. If you can hear a person's voice and their tone of speech you can understand if they are serious or not. Many times serious problems are misunderstandings or jokes gone bad.
When the guild is in hibernation mode this is the most important time to keep the forums rolling. I like to keep a joke section going and trivia works out well. There isn't one of us that doesn't want to feel a part of.
You will always run into players that refuse to visit the forums. They simply don't do it. You cannot do a darn thing about it. They're simply lazy. I've been approached by many guild officers about this problem and there isn't anything that can be done. Booting them out doesn't work well either. It is important to have a great communication backbone in game. Guild leaders should be in constant communication with their officers. TRUE guild leaders are people that are able to be gotten a hold of in real life. In my guild our other guild leaders and officers can reach me anytime in real life. I don't always respond; especially when I'm not a computer but I'm aware of the problem and deal with it as soon as I can.
All in all, you have to hang in there through the good times and the bad. People will come and people will go. You will gain friends and loose some on the way. If you can promote what you believe in by way of example you'll have yourself a successful guild for many years. My guild just celebrated our fourth year of operation in March. That's not very long in comparison to other guilds.
As for diplomacy with other guilds. Keep it very light and involve them in anything you do. I've spent more of my time concentrating on my guild rather than relations with other guilds. We have been allied with Clan Lorings for four years. Our relations with other guilds are either long or the allied guild dies out.
I consider myself an experienced person in dealing with guilds. I've seen close to one thousand people come and go in my four years. I've dealt with hackers and the those who are very sharp and cutting with their tongues.
It is of utmost importance to leave the door open as I call it. If a guild member leaves my guild on good terms he/she is always welcome back. Many guilds make this mistake and close the door on their guildies.
All in all you have to hang in there through the good and the bad. It is a job being a guild leader. If you don't consider the job important chances are your clan will die off.