Keeping Positive

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'.

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.]

Recruiting

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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!

Think

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]