Running/Starting a Guild
Whether you are just creating a new guild, or looking to get new and active members, this special guild guide will help you reach your guild goals!When it comes to being a guild leader, there are a few important aspects of your guild you have to watch for it to be able to become successful.
Starting Off
First of all, be sure make your guild name unique. If it's not unique, it won't stand out and be catchy for neopians to be interested to join. Something ordinary like 'Neo Guild' or 'Neo Fan' makes your guild look like a copy. Just make sure it is unique and stands out. Be sure it is not themed too much like any other guild out there; it is important you do some research to see what guild types are missing out there. Make a brainstorm of what sort of guild you are heading to create. Also, don't forget to make your guild ranks! Make sure they are interesting rank names, achievable by members and something which will become a goal for members to get to. Guild Homepage
In order to make your guild successful, you've got to look after your guild's appearance. It's absolutely crucial! First off, we need to get over the fact that people do judge the book by its cover. You can find many pre'made layouts online on Neopet Graphics sites, such as here at NeopetsGuide. But the best way, to grab attention, is to make your own unique guild layout. If you don't know how to, you can always advertise on the Guild boards looking for a person to make you one. It is absolutely imporant that you have an aesthetically pleasing guild layout, as it is like that 'first impression'. Basically, people like to look at things that are pleasant to their eyes.
Furthermore, you should also have a well written guild welcome message. It should be short and concise covering what your guild offers, the guild environment and what the neopian is to expect as a member. Make it short and sweet, as again, it is a neopian's first impression of the guild - its potentially one of the decision points for a neopian to join!
Being Active
Be active as a guild leader. Nothing is worse than having the leader and/or council be inactive. If they aren't there, there is no way for the guild to run and be active altogether. Only the leader and council members have the power to update, maintain, make announcements, create new polls, etc. You don't want your members to be waiting around for updates, as they can easily get impatient... after all, there are a tonne of guilds out there that they join, if they leave. You have to show your members that they've chosen the right guild, and prove that it is better than any other guild out there, and therefore, worth staying in.
Without a leader, it just isn't worth it. After all, you ain't a leader for nothing! So, if you have a leader and/or council position, be super active! Show that you really take your position seriously to the members. Make updates every day or as soon as they are required. Taking an organised approach and being available to help guild members' problems is imperative. Check the guild messages, have a chat with a few members if they are online, and get to know them. Nobody wants to be in a guild where they have no idea who the guild leader is, or hasn't ever spoken to them.Answer any guild member's neomails; and never keep any guild member's neomail unreplied, no matter how many annoying neomails you get from them. After all, your aim is to get as many active members as you can, and clearing member's questions up, will enable to get a clearer idea of what the guild is offering and is on about.
You want your members to feel welcomed, and wanted in the guild. You have to keep your guild members interested, or else they may leave!
Guild Webbie
Have a guild webbie. You can use a petpage off Neopets, or find a free'hosting site. You can't actually put the real address of an 'off'site link' in your guild; or on Neopets, for that matter - it just isn't allowed. To allow members to actually access this 'off'site webbie' you can put the link as a picture or do something like neopetsguide(dot)com. The guild webbie should contain everything that the guild has to offer and should also have an eye catching layout. A neopian reading a guild webbie should be fully aware of what the guild has to offer, and what they are to expect. Things that a guild webbie should have are:Guild Rules
It is important to have a few guild rules. It will keep members controlled, and keep them informed of what sort of behaviour is expected. This is, whether the guild allows chatspeak or not etc...
Some rules you should cover:
Rank Requirements
What do the members have to do to reach a particular rank? Make sure these requirements are reachable. Some things to consider when setting rank requirements:Activities/Events
List what sort of events or activities you have to offer, and the things that members can get involved with. It is vital you have some sort of activity for the members to participate in. This will keep them going in the guild, and look forward to future activities. It is like an incentive to stay.Point System
Do you want to have a point system, where members are rewarded points for recruiting members, being active etc... ? If so don't forget to add this into your guild webbie, and list what they have to do to earn points and what they can do with their points. Also make sure your 'point system' has a unique name and isn't just called 'points'; something like 'balloon points (BPs)'. Just like 'Neopoints (NPs)' - be creative!Donations/Donation Shop
Do you have a Donation Shop? If you do and you accept donations, what are you going to do with the donations? Will it be used for prizes? Will is be used for random giveways? You decide! It all goes to what is called the 'Guild Till'. Of course, it is not compulsory to have a Donation Shop, and neither does every guild need to have a Donation Shop; so if you don't require a Donation Shop, you don't need to open one. Just remember though, a good guild does not require a donation shop; there are many other ways to make your guild interesting. Do remember though, that it is a 'Guild Donation Shop' therefore any NPs used, should be only for the guild, and none for personal use. You are to earn your own NPs for personal use. DO NOT use guild till for personal use, and take advantage of these donations from kind members.It's also a good idea to mention on your guild webbie what sort of things the donations are used for, so your members are clear of where their NPs are going towards.
Guild Jobs
Do you need help running the guild? If you do, why not create some guild jobs? Members who do well in their jobs can be rewarded guild points, as mentioned before. If you are to have jobs, list what is required of that job, how they are to apply, and the amount of guild points they are paid for that job.
Also, you should list under each job any members that have already gotten a particular position.
Members' Page
A good way to get your members to get to know each other, is to create a members page, where there is a form and members can fill it out, and be placed on this "Members' Page". The form can look something like this:Guild Teams
A great way to keep the guild spirit going is to have Guild Teams. The Guild Teams battle with each other, with challenges to see who can finally gain that number 1 position and luxurious gifts! Again, this is an incentive to get members involved and build up that relationship with other members. Advertise
ADVERTISE! On your guild main page (where your spiffy layout and welcome text should be), keep a text advertisement for guild members to use on the neoboards to advertise the guild. Offer rewards to your guild members for the most new members; this will become an incentive for members to keep advertising and increasing your member base. It is absolutely important to advertise, as its the many things that will help your guild work or not.Guild Mailings
Guild mailings is a guild admin power which is where guild leaders and those who guild leaders give the permission to use, to send out a neomail which will send out to all the members in the guild. It will only be sent to those who have enabled their guild mailings. As a guild leader, you can write a guild mailer by simple opening a new neomail, and clicking 'Select a Neofriend!' which should bring down a drop down list, and somewhere on the list (normally the top) there should be a contact called: 'my guild members'; click on this. Type your message, and send it off!
Be sure to guild mail your members every now and then, as it will keep them informed and interested of what is going on in the guild.
Member of the Month
To further keep members going, you can introduce a 'MOTM'. They are picked after a number of qualities have been set. Such qualities of a MOTM can be:Also, giving a small gift can also further make members want to be MOTM!
Guild Newspaper
To further interest members, you can create a guild newspaper! Add comics, member's stories, MOTM interviews and random interesting stuff into the newspaper that a guild member can read every month!Guild Account
It is important to have an account separate to all your other accounts, dedicated to your guild. Remember, you can have 1 main account and 4 side accounts including your guild account. That is, if you are to have a guild account, you should have (as a leader): 1 main account, 3 side accounts and the guild account.The guild account is where members can neomail questions, job applications or anything of guild related nature. It is truly useful, and helps a lot. It can also be where the Donation Shop is placed and where guild pages are kept.
Afterword
Running a guild sure is tough work, but the appreciation that you receive after all your efforts, is immense, and you sure won't regret doing! Hope this guide has helped you achieve an awesome guild, that is active, full of fun and has lots of members!|
NeopetsGuide.com Terms of Use | Site Map |
Share This Page |
