Old Posts but Good info

I'm grateful we've built such an empire here within our alliance. We've hit a lot of milestones, made a lot of friends, and had a lot of fun. No matter what size your alliance or guild is, how long you've been participating, how experienced you are, or even how old you are; you'll always have somebody somewhere break some sort of common sense boundary. Most of this should be no brainer stuff:

Help: Do not be impatient if you're asking the alliance for help with a mission, an answer to a question, etc. Over the course of time we've noticed a lot in alliance behavior. Its not uncommon to feel ignored or not get a response. Cant explain it, its just human nature. Either people are busy fighting, not paying attention because they are busy doing (fill in the blank), or even simply turned off the alliance chat. A shame i know; but it happens. You can go around cussing the alliance in private saying whatever you like, but the bottom line is that we know we're a good alliance, take your childish behavior and attitude elsewhere. Grow up.

Beggars: Ugh, i feel i shouldn't have to even explain this one in detail. NOBODY should beg; it just shows your true character. Gold, materials, anything your lazy butt can think of asking for...just don't do it. Everybody was broke at one time, and we all find our own ways of income - don't put your laziness on somebody else because you want armor or w/e.

Language: For the most part we're all mature adults. If swearing offends you, then why the @%&# do you have the chat filter off? Turn it back on and problem solved. HOWEVER! IF you are frustrated, its understandable to belt out your frustration with a few choice words; just don't over do it. Be reasonable. Should somebody ask you nicely to tone it down a little bit, ffs be respectful.

Problems: I'd say 95% of ALL problems you should encounter in the game can be resolved by talking through them like mature people do. There is no reason you should just up and leave a guild over a simple issue. Don't always point the finger, sit back and listen to the other side of the story and find a middle ground. If it's bad or you can't resolve it, take screen shots if need be and send to your Guild Leader or Officers, that's what they're here for, to help in situations like this.

Fun: Hrmm, well I know this might puzzle some of you at first. "Fun? How could having fun be a problem?" Simple answer; if you're not here to have fun with us THEN GET OUT

Guild Hopping: AoL doesn't accomodate hoppers and neither should the other Guilds. We're here as an ALLIANCE to encourage cross-guild playing and partying up together, so there's simply NO need to move from guild to guild. When you start having people shifting around, it opens up the potential for unwanted drama as well. If you feel your Guild is going silent, talk to your officers and GL. Find out what YOU can do to help put some life and spark back into it. Don't take the attitude of it's not your problem and try to bail for an Ally-Guild because if you're not willing to put effort into your current Guild, what are you really offering to a more active Guild?

Trolling: Don't need it, don't want it, absolutely NOT interested. Whether you're trolling in Guild or Alliance-Chat, don't be surprised or offended when you're asked to knock it off as that's just crap behaviour. LOL we feed all trolls moldy spam with rotten pinapples and if you won't stop, then we'll show you the door quick enough

Bottom line is this, we all have different tolerance level for vulgarity, etc. If someone is offended (whether you meant to offend or not) and asks you to stop, then be a mature adult and STOP. No one is here to intentionally tick people off, but it happens. When you are asked to stop and the person has politely requested that you cease and desist, then ceast and desist. It's called COMMON COURTESY, it's called RESPECTING YOUR FELLOW PLAYERS.

There is PM for a reason, so that if something you are doing, saying or discussing is offensive to someone you can take it private. If you are asked to stop, please take it private and stop posting in general alliance chat for everyone (particularly the person that was offended) to see.

We all make mistakes -- what is not acceptable is to get angry and defensive when someone asks you to stop. What is not acceptable is to keep doing it, or do it more just to be an ass.

Personally, I think its sad that this even needs to be discussed. However, I guess it comes up everywhere, whenever two or more are gathered to game.

Rules
Condensed into Spice Girls format:


WannaStay

Yo, I'll tell
you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really
really really wanna set some rules ha.

If you want to be a member don't be immature,
If you want help on a mission be patient and don't cuss,
Now don't go wasting anyone's precious time,
Get your act together we could be just fine

I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really
really really wanna keep begging out ha.

If you wanna be a member, you can't beg for crap,
Make your own money and don't you ever ask,
If you wanna be in this alliance, you don't demand free stuff,
Taking is too easy, but that's the way it is.

What do you think about that now you know how I feel,
Say you can handle my rules are you for real,
I won't be hasty, I'll give you a try
If you really bug me then I'll say goodbye.

Yo I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want,
So tell me what you want, what you really really want,
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really
really really wanna talk about language ha.

If you wanna be a member, you gotta be reasonable with your swears
If curse words offend you then turn the filter on,
If you wanna be a member, you have got to be fair,
Cussing is too easy, but that's the way it is.

So here's the rules from A to Z, you wanna stay you read
you gotta listen carefully,
We got mature people to talk through problems with,
we got a leader who's seen a lot of weird crap
Take screenshots if need be,
and as for action..ah you'll see,
Be mature and spread it all around
Be mature and spread it all around


If you wanna be a member, you gotta follow these rules,
Make fun last forever so activity never ends,
If you wanna be a member, you should be here for fun,
Grouching is too easy, but THEN GET OUT.

If you wanna be a member, you gotta, you gotta, you
gotta,
you gotta, you gotta, act, act, act, act
Act mature and spread it all around
Act mature and spread it all around
Act mature and spread it all around

Follow these rules and have fun yeah
If you wanna be a member.

[color=violet]Please note these are our basic guidelines and they include the Alliance ones as well for convenience. As needed these will be updated and/or modified Basic bottom line is no spamming, scamming, swearing, flaming, trolling, being a jerk. Guild and Alliance: If you are doing something and are asked to stop or it's pointed out not appropriate, then simply stop. Doesn't matter if it's member, officer, or gl doing the asking, just stop. There should be absolutely no postings in Ally-Chat of sexual, racial, slurs, or name-calling. Also no religious or political discussions please. Swearing happens on accident (we've all had those famous mistypes) BUT please refrain within Ally-Chat. WTB/WTS once or twice is fine, don't go beyond that because after the second time if you've not gotten a response, no one is interested in either buying or selling. Do not feed into any flame wars as those will be snuffed out quickly and most certainly do not feed the trolls. Remember everyone is differen

Meeting held tonight with myself, Amer, Dayle, and Jemby. Pendragon is offline currently attending to family business, Bruno and Donni are busy with r/t, as are Alt and Dan.

1. First topic Officers/GL and expectations.
- Be on vent while in game (except if at work accessing gw) and log into the Forum regularly. How can we encourage our members to use the tools provided (vent and forum) if we are not using them ourselves.
- Be active. We all have lives outside of the game but Officers/GL need to have a presence IN GW which means when we DO log in, we need to be in the thick of things spanning from talking in GC/AL to forming up parties to go do things. If going offline for longer than 3 days, please either drop me a line or post in Officer Board. Any Officer offline for longer than a week with no word and ETA of return, will be demoted and can earn their spot back same as anyone else in the Guild when they return.
- All of us are expected to lead something/anything once a week for the Guild. Whether it's ZB/ZM/ZV, dungeon, ZE, it doesn't matter. What DOES matter is Each of Us is taking ownership of putting together a team once a week. This ownership means you will make a post in the AoL-Only Section for your event, you will put reminders out in Guild-Chat, and you will have people go to our nook of the forum to sign up for it. If you can't get an all-Guild group that's fine, when it's launch-time then put it out to Alliance or hero up and go. There should not be a member looking to the Officers/GL and have no clue who that person is.
- There should NEVER be only a few of the Officers/GL putting together things on behalf of the Guild, it should be all of us. Speaking from experience when we begin to rely on just one or two to do it all, if they leave then we're screwed because THEY are the ones who really knew the members best and the members knew them as the go-to person(s) for parties.
- Noted that Officer/GL shouldn't feel like a job. If anyone doesn't have time or doesn't want the responsibilities and involvement that comes with the spot, there is nothing negative to it, simply step down.
- New Officer candidates. Dave and Aura and Tarjan have been mentioned as possible potentials, no one else sticks out. I will be posting in our section what AoL Officers do so that it's understood promotions are not based on being part of a clique or a "cool person".

2. Recruiting. We are going to require that all new members have vent and log in upon joining. Same with forum. To best keep the Guild active, we need people who ARE active, of which it tends to be those that will use both vent and forum. They don't have vent or don't use it or don't like it or their dog ate their headphones, tough. No excuses. Same with forum. They will sign up the same day they join so they are then setup to access the Guild-Only area. Be sure to tell your potential recruit these two requirements prior to inviting please. Members are not required to be on vent every single day but if a party requires its use, they will be expected to log onto the server. Also stress it helps THEM the more they use both vent and forum because both involve both Guild and Ally.

3. Change. AoL is not the same Guild as it was when I joined in July 2008. The majority of players from that time are gone. Same with the 2009 crew and even the 2010 crew. Change is a positive thing because it allows us to reinvent the Guild and make it match our needs here and now, not the needs from years past. Change can be painful and awkward in its beginnings but that fades, and quite honestly we have a solid base of people IN AoL right now to build on for a better Guild, a Guild where people are actually bitching there's too many things going on that they don't know what to do, or they can't keep up with the conversations going on. WE are the driving force behind change, it's on OUR shoulders to play, talk, and encourage not only the Members but also each other to keep moving forward, try new things, step out of comfort zones, and be open-minded to the endless possibilities there are. GW has given us so many things that the majority have not done or even thought of. Speed-clears, titles, PvP are just a few. But WE have to be willing to challenge each other and ourselves in order to keep AoL steaming forwards until GW 2 is released so that there WILL be a strong presence of the Guild IN it.

4. Sunday's guild-meeting will be held in vent.

5. I will be posting on Guru another recruitment post for players.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions, concerns as always welcomed. This will be maintained as we see fit by adding/removing items.

Moved the old posts floating here into this thread. Outdated either by the person or the situation, still good info so holding onto.