I am a guild hopper. You heard me right- I'm one of those disgusting little
pieces of slime that joins a guild for a few days, attempt crazily to help,
then leaves or becomes inactive. Now, guild leaders, before you bludgeon me
to death with your perfectly-made graphics remember that I'm here to apologize.
As I said already, a guild hopper (my own phrase- you may have your own) is
someone who goes between guilds. People like me join guilds for several reasons-
newbie benefits, the lure of easy council positions, or (like me) because they're
desperate for a group of people who shares their interests. They leave for similar
reasons- they no longer are receiving any benefits, the council is full or does
not want to admit them, or the guild simply isn't what they wanted.
I've left and joined guilds for a variety of reasons. I've given up on two
of my own creation and been in countless others. Now, I'm here to share my own
tips on what not to do in a guild.
1. Never trust the guild leader. I was in an adoption guild once where
the guild shop made +50,000 Neopoints from selling overpriced tombola items.
One day, I logged on and- amazingly enough- the guild was gone. Just… vanished.
I'd managed to work myself up to a pretty good position in the guild (I was
the co-webmaster… even if I didn't really do anything) and I wasn't exactly
happy that my dreams of settling down at last had vanished. I later found out
that the guild leader most likely took the money and ran. And the guild leader
may not always mean to mess up: I was in a role playing guild for a while wondering
what had happened to the guild leader, until I realized she was frozen.
2. Don't let yourself be pressured into joining guilds, and remember it's
not rude to back out of one. I was once asked to join a guild and sent a
codestone. I wasn't quite sure how to give the codestone back, and the person
who invited me seemed so friendly. I just didn't fit into that guild, but it
took me a long time to leave because I didn't want to seem rude.
3. There is no such thing as going too low as a guild leader. So you've
decided to make your own guild, eh? Give up your high standards. As a leader,
you are going to have to crawl around in the mud and beg people to join
your guild. You are going to have to give some administrative powers to others
on the guild council, even if you don't want to. You are going get on those
chat rooms and advertise. (If you're under 13 or don't have parental permission,
forget leading a guild. The chat rooms are about the only way you can advertise,
unless you can get an older sibling, friend, or parent to do your dirty work).
You are going to have to pressure those friends of a friend of a friend to join.
And, eventually, you will be heartbroken.
I've made two guilds and given up on them when no one joined. This is probably
because I just couldn't lower myself to clog up the chat boards (even the guild
section) with advertisements. The fact is, asking a few friends to join your
guild just won't work. Chances are they're in guilds already.
4. Don't be ashamed to be a follower. The help section for plushie
tycoon states, "You can't have a chief without any Indians," and I think that's
true in guilds too. If you're lucky enough to find that perfect guild (it's
small enough for you to make a name for yourself, big enough to be successful,
and you like its theme) join it! Being a happy but low-ranking member is better
than being an unhappy guild leader.
This concludes my utterly worthless article. Despite my horrible experiences
in the past, I am starting a guild of my own called The Lair of
the Mad Scientists. Should you wish to join, talk to me, or flame me
for scaring countless happy people, why not send
me a neomessage? | 
