If MMO games are your thing then you’ll know all about the up’s and down’s of being in a guild and how the leadership of a guild can impact on its members and ultimately, on your overall gaming experience. This excellent and detailed article from The Guild Counsel looks at all the do’s and don’ts of guild recruitment. If you’re thinking about starting a guild or you’ve been in a guild and wondered how you could recruit and start one of your own, this article is for you.

Some of the highlights of the article pin-point key areas to take note of such as:

DO: Get chatty
DON’T: Get spammy

DO: Pound the pavement
DON’T: Oversell

DO: Advertise out of game
DON’T: Paint a picture of something you’re not

DO: Recruit the player, not the class
DON’T: Invite someone unless he knows what role he’ll have in the guild

I can’t stress enough how important some of these points are to consider. I’ve been quite shocked to see how many guilds fail to uphold these simple rules or overlook them completely. I’ve come to understand over time that if you’re looking for a GOOD guild, chances are they won’t be the ones spamming in /general or /trade channels looking for members. The good guilds won’t recruit you straight away and will almost ALWAYS have a recruitment protocol to follow which is usually in the form of filling out an application form on the guild website. If you see a guild spamming for members, they’re probably not going to be the top guild on the server and if you’re getting spammed by guilds to join them, that’s a sure indication they’re desperate for members. Steer clear of guilds like this if you’re looking and definitely check out TGC’s post if you’re thinking of creating one.