21 Apr
Staying Organized As A Clan Leader
Posted by JohnnyLocke as Articles, Clan Managment, Website Managment | 0 Comments
Running a gaming clan can get overwhelming for just about anyone. If you pile your clan responsibilities on top of school or work, sometimes it can get down right impossible. The key to dealing with this problem is making the most of your time. If you only have one hour a day to work on clan duties, make sure you work for that hour instead of becoming sidetracked with other things. Personally, I have a hard time staying on track, so there are a few things I like to do to keep myself headed in the right direction:
To-Do Lists. Write everything down. Have a plan before you go in. If you take care of all the thinking ahead of time, you can cut out the awkward “Ok….what now?” waiting periods in between different tasks. Make your to-do lists semi detailed, but don’t go overboard with it. Give yourself a basic outline of what you want to accomplish for that day.
Establish Priorities. Make sure whatever your working on is the absolute best thing you could be working on at the time. If what your doing at the time isn’t going to benefit you the most, change it up. Save the less important jobs for when you have a bit of free time.
Keep A Notebook (And up to date) You’d be surprised how much keeping a notebook can help. Just to have all of your thoughts there in front of you sometimes saves you alot of mental stress when you’re trrying to get things done. Write anything of any importance in the notebook.
Of course staying organized is really more of a personality trait than anything else, but if you’re trying to make strides in the right direction then there are always things you can do to help yourself out.
02 Apr
Benefits Of Democracy in Gaming Clans
Posted by JohnnyLocke as Articles, Clan Managment | 0 Comments
The Benefits of Democracy
Running a democratic clan may be to your benefit. One of the hardest tasks in running an efficient clan is keeping your members happy. Often members will become disgruntled for one reason or another, and with any pull, will be able to persuade other members to leave and start their own clan.
To keep members happy, I’ve always thought it was best to set up a democracy of sorts, or at least a republic, with elected officials who call the shots. My favorite arrangement for this was to set up a “Council” who is elected every so often (be it every 3 months, 4 months, or 6 months) by the members of the clan in a clan election. Council members would then vote on all changes and future decisions for the clan.
This way, each game will probably have at least 1 reprsentative seated ont he council, to help further their game. It also gives your council members experience in leadership and decision making, in case you ever needed a replacement or someone to help you run your clan. The Council can be used as a tool, bridging the gap between clan leadership and its members. Oftentimes, these two sects may not have much to do with each other, but if a member feels he has 8 or 9 people he can approach with inquiries or ideas and suggestions, he may be more inclined to offer his feedback.
Remember, a clan is only as strong as its link between its leadership and members, and how happy its members are.
By JohnnyLocke
Clan-Man Staff Member
Here are the most common reasons “WHY” Clans FAIL:
(MOST clans FAIL, these are the MAIN reasons.)
I. The LEADER is a power hungry ego maniac:
-If- you are starting a clan to “simply to be IN-charge” of it, I would suggest not bothering starting a clan at all. Because, that is the #1 reason so many clans DIE, it’s their leader started the clan, simply to be “IN CHARGE” of ‘a clan’ and to boss people. The best clans are ran by people that actually enjoy helping other people. Immature ego maniacs usually have no idea how much work is involved with running a “SUCCESSFUL” clan, that LAST any amount of time. If you have a “BAD”, UNFAIR”, “LAZY”, or “power hungry” leader, a CLAN WILL DIE.
To avoid this:
A clan should be ran by several people that SHARE the Work -AND- the SHARE the Authority AND ENJOY helping other people.
II. Too many of your MEMBERS are whinny lazy brats:
If you have a lot of immature and lazy members that demand everything from you, but NEVER help back (or help back very little), eventually YOU will get tired of doing ALL (or almost all) of the work, THEN THE CLAN WILL DIE.
To avoid this:
Make sure EVERYone understands that they absolutely must help their clan weekly by giving 10% of their online gaming time BACK to their clan (they can help with: recruitment, writing web pages, run server searches, run practices and events, help other members, help members on the clan message board, organize nightly games, participate, etc). Make sure that they all understand that a clan is “not a magical refrigerator” on the internet. The people that help MORE, should get MORE authority (or “say”) in the clan. Please be fair and give the “workers” their “EARNED AUTHORITY”. Make sure EVERYone knows “what is expected OUT of them” and “what to expect FROM the clan”, -BEFORE- they join your clan. Basically, each member should have a “clan job”.
III. You let a troublemaker into the clan:
NEVER let a person into your clan JUST because he is a “very good player” or has a server. EVERY person has to be “friendly person” or you do NOT want them. You DO -NOT- WANT JERKS in your clan. Sometimes, some of the best players and server owners (not all), are the most arrogant self-centered “#$%^s” on the planet, and all they ever do, is think about their OWN scores, and not about the clan. A troublemaker will go on to KILL a clan, because of their rude UN-compromising behavior, “lack of team work”, and nasty attitude. Fun and FRIENDS, are ALWAYS more important then winning. It’s better to play by yourself, then be in a clan that is a huge collection of troublemaking morons.
To avoid this:
Simply talk to the people before you let them in your clan. Invite them on to a Roger Wilco channel for an ‘interview’ to see what they want out of a clan. You can tell them “what will be expected out of them” and “what to expect from your clan”. Its always a lot easier to NOT let a troublemaker in, then it is to kick him/her out. You should give TRY OUTS to new guys, and screen the jerks. Note, not all great players or server operators are bad people, some are actually some of the nicest people in the World.
IV. A FIGHT starts, that grows bigger and BIGGER:
NO ONE IS PERFECT, therefore EVERYone must COMPROMISE from time to time. If any group of people are to get a long, people have to compromise once and a while. Any time you get a bunch of humans together, there is going to be “DISAGREEMENTS”. If even loving “FAMILIES” have fights, you can guarantee that a clan, if it lives long enough and grows, will have a fight.
To avoid this:
Do NOT let a fight grow or “EXPLODE” and kill your clan. If a fight starts between 2 people, suggest that THOSE 2 people (and a moderator) get on a RW channel and discuss it face to face, do not start a flame war on the message board. If the fight is getting REALLY BAD, suggest to EVERYONE fighting, to “”"just take a break”" and “”cool off”" for a couple of hours, a couple of days, of if needed 3 weeks. Sometimes simply saying “LET’s just all get in a game and play” will stop the fighting and SAVE your clan, remember that. By having monthly clan meetings, misunderstandings can usually be avoided. Communication between the Leaders, and between the members and Leaders is very important. I would recommend having scheduled monthly clan meetings for the clan. It helps prevent misunderstandings, and is also a good time to discuss issues and for Members to offer new ideas too. Also don’t forget to reward the clan’s hard workers and keep them happy and give them “earned authority”. It is EVERY MEMBERS’ clan, btw, not just the Leaders’ clan. Everyone should work a little, the ones that work the most, should have the most authority or “say”, but it is ALL the members’ clan and everyone should recognize that.
V. You FAILED to recruit any new members:
“”A clan is like a sack of sand with a hole in at the bottom that is slowly losing it’s contents.”"
People have and will ALWAYs LEAVE clans, no matter how good they are.
We have had people leave our clan for just about any reason you can think about. We have had : a member that went to to jail, a member had his Wife yell at him to “Turn off the computer or she would leave him”, people in serious auto accidents, people loose their jobs and not able to pay their ISP, people have their phone disconnected for not paying, one guy had his phone disconnected for 3 weeks because of a construction backhoe, people bored with games, people doing poorly in school, people going away and starting college, people moving, misunderstandings, and of course FIGHTS.
To avoid this:
You have to CONTINUALLY RECRUIT new QUALITY members if your clan is to survive. Make sure several LOYAL people in the clan spend a few hours recruiting in open forums and in games each week. Be careful NOT to spam messages anywhere. Make someone responsible for this section of the clan, make sure that they are 100% loyal to your clan.
VI. UN-loyal “Clan-Hoppers”, backstabbers, and “Quit-a-thons”:
Making a clan is the EASY part, holding a clan together is the HARD part.
Un-loyal, bottom feeding, blood sucking, leeching “backstabbers”, that go on to instigate “mutinies” or “quit-a-thons” can not be allowed around your clan at any time. I have seen backstabbers create fights, simply so that they could recruit members away from the current clan once people started to quit. These “split-off clans” always go on to be “flop-clans”. The reason is: people that are un-loyal to your clan will only be un-loyal to the “split-off” clan, mutineers NEVER stick together very long, NEVER!.
“Clan-hoppers” are guys that join a clan, then quit it, then join another clan, then quit it, then join another clan, then quit it, etc, etc. “Clan-hoppers” never do any work and do not have any loyalty. “Clan-hoppers” are self-centered and only think of themselves. Usually they are whiners too. They seldom stay in a clan for more then 3 weeks. Sometimes they join several clans at one time and are not loyal to any of them.
To avoid this:
If someone quits your clan, they can NOT rejoin. It should take all the Council members to let someone in your clan. It should take all Council members to kick someone out of your clan. This will make your clan stable and prevent it from being too easy to get in. Do not make your clan TOO easy to get into, that way members will VALUE your clan’s MEMBERSHIP. You should give interviews to new guys, and give TRY OUTS before making someone a member, see, that’s why running a “successful” clan takes a lot of work 
. Make getting into your clan a special time that is valued. Maybe have a “crowbar” initiation ceremony (Half-Life TFC) when a new guys passes their “TRY OUT” or gets “Promoted”. Get all the members together and crowbar the new guy as you swear him into your clan. Do not let a “clan-hopper” in your clan, if someone says he has been in 16 clans, you do NOT want him in your clan, he is a fickled “clan-hopper”. If someone is in another clan, they have ZERO loyalty to your clan, do NOT let them hang around your clan’s message board or RW channel. Telling the low-lifes “NO” or “GO AWAY”, is the job of the COUNCIL Members. Be a STRONG and FAIR Leader and everyone will respect you.
VII. SOMEONE THINKING THE “CLAN” IS A “GAME”:
A “clan’ is not a “game”. A Clan is made up of REAL people with REAL feelings. You might be looking at your monitor when you type or talk to a player a thousand miles away on the internet, but there actually is a REAL person on the other end of that conversation, typing and talking to you while looking at his monitor, they are both REAL PEOPLE. Just because you can’t touch them, does not mean they are not real breathing people that should be treated with dignity and fairness, if possible. A clan is NOT a company, it’s NOT a country, and it’s NOT the military, it is a global internet clan and should be ran as such. In a company, people show up at a set time (8am) and stay for a set amount of time (8 hours) and get paid. The company charges for it’s services. So a company is not much like a “GLOBAL clan”, that is ran for free, at times convenient for those that show up. A clan will NEVER have this luxury, and so a clan will never be as efficient as a company. In the military and a Country, you can execute people if they mess up really badly, need I say more.
On the other hand “Half-life” and “StarCraft” and “EverQuest” ARE “GAMES”. They are simply a bunch of computer software code written to form a software program, that follows a set of rules. They are JUST a “game”.
To avoid this:
Act civil to people and respect all people, if they will let you. Play games for fun, but dont “play with people” by mistreating them.
IX. “Net-Mosquitoes” harassing and wasting too much time:
“Net-mosquitoes” are troublemaking morons that cause trouble simply to cause trouble. They have NO-life and have been known to hound clans that they could not get in or were kicked out of, for months sometimes. We had a net-mosquito that harassed our clan for 15 months after he left our clan. “Net-Mosquitoes” waste their life trying to ruin others’ fun. They are a waste of life, a waste of time, a waste of fun, don’t let them waste yours.
To handle this:
Report any harassment to the net-mosquito’s ISP in a polite and documented email complaint. If a troublemaker does anything illegal to one of your members, like sending a virus or hacking, report the net-mosquito to his local police. If the net-mosquito just does one thing, simply ignore the buffoon and let him get his “attention” from his momma.
X. TOO MUCH TIME WAS WASTED ON THE CLAN WEB PAGE:
I NEVER saw a clan die because of an ugly clan web page, but I have seen a LOT of clans DIE because their leaders spent WAY TOO much time working on their clan web page, instead of using that time recruiting, or practicing, or having clan meetings to promoted good communication in their clan.
A web page is simply a TOOL, a “web page” is NOT the clan. A clan is about the people, a web page doesn’t help you capture the flag, but “CLAN MEMBERS” do. A “web page” is simply a “pieces of paper on the internet”.
To avoid this:
Make a BASIC web page to hold your club for the first 3 months, then, after 3+ months, if your clan is still alive, worry about “dressing up” the web page. Worry about a dot.com later, if your clan survives 4+ months.
By [TiC]EVIL
http://www.atomicwarrior.com/clubs/clanbible/index.html
02 Apr
The Basics of Starting Your Own Gaming Clan
Posted by admin as Articles, Clan Managment | 0 Comments
They say 75% of all startup companies fail within their first 2 years. This is also true with clans, only perhaps even more clans fail than companies. I would say the percentage is probably somewhere around the 85%-90% mark. If you’re reading this page, you’ve probably already taken into consideration running your own gaming clan. I will say, as a former leader of my own for around 3 years, this is no easy task. There are certain things you have to ask yourself before you begin, that will ultimately lead to either the demise or rise of your new organization;
Questions to ask yourself: (So you don’t end up wasting your time 
)
#1) Do I have enough time? To successfully lead a large clan in this day and age, you need to plan to devote at least the time you would to a part time job. Especially during startup. I would say that you should plan for a minmum of 20 hours per week, and as high as 40 during startup.
#2) Am I alone? You will never be able to get a clan off the ground on your own. Starting a clan takes a team-wide effort. You will need a minimum of 3-4 VERY dedicated members to help you get this thing on its feet. The more the merrier.
#3) Am I/my founding members mature enough? Age certainly comes into play as a leader. You have to be willing to put up with alot of bullshit. You will hear alot of complaining. Maturity is certainly a neccessity. I have never seen a clan sucessfully run by a 13 year old.
#4) Do I have the motivation to put in the effort? You can have all time in the world, but if you don’t do anything with it, you get no where. You had better plan for those 20 hours per week, to be 20 hours of work. If you sit around and chat for 10 of those you’re getting nowhere.
If you answered all these questions in the correct manner then you have just met the basic requirements of being a clan leader. There are litterally hundreds of other things that play into a clan being successful. Now, to get started:
First, decide what kind of clan you want.
You and your founding members must decide the basics about the type of clan you are preparing to found. All decisions are relative to what game you play. (Typically first person shooters like counter strike will not be looking for large numbers on the memberlist. Real Time Strategy and MMORPG’s also have different sets of core values). Do you want alot of members? Small amount? Will there be ranks? If so how many? Will you be using the standard miltiary ranks, or going for something original? Once the ranks issue is decided, then you must decide which founding members will hold what place in the ranking system. This can get sticky, so try to be as democratic about it as possible. I would suggest having only you, as the founding leader be the commander (or comparable rank), and perhaps let all other founding members be your general staff.
Tip: Save transcripts of all meetings, and keep them for a later date, or to post on your message board later.
Once these things are decided, you begin to create.
Open a website.
Make sure that you have your own .com/.net/.org domain for your clan, and a pay-per-month hosting plan. (This can be purchased at godaddy.com).
The website is the most crucial peice of any clan. The website, or perhaps even more importantly, the forum/message board gives your members a place to chat and get to know each other outside of the game. It gives your clan more of a community feel to it. Your site should, at minimum, have a page devoted to news, rules, members, and a message board for chatting. It is absolutely imperative that you have a message board. Oftentimes, your webhost will have message boards that can be automatically set up in the cpanel.
Make your website look as professional as possible. Do your best to make sure it is neat and orderly, and has a minimal amount of spelling mistakes. The more seriously you take yourself, the more seriously potential members will take you.
Find your place in-game
Depending on what game you are launching this clan for, there are certain steps that need to be taken in order for you to have a meeting spot for your members in-game. For Counter-Strike, and other first person shooters, you must purchase a server. But, for the rest of this article, I will assume you are a battle.net clan. In which case, you must get a clan channel. It really does matter if you have a Clan ______ channel, or an Op _______ channel. Just make sure one of your founding members can keep a bot sitting on ops (ops controls the channel, can kick/ban) 24/7. Make sure that you trust this person, and in fact, it is even best if you yourself hold ops. Make sure this bot is able to delegate out power to others in the channel.
Recruit.
Depending on how you answered your questions earlier reguarding the size of the potential clan, you begin recruiting in a number of ways. Most clans like to start off recruiting as many people as possible. Make sure to tell each and every recruit about your website.
Post on Forums about your newly founded clan, and let them know that moving up is an option.
Make recruitment games to reach out to new members. Always have your best player online at the time play the potential members.
When playing alone, make sure to ask anyone you encounter that is of the appropriate skill level, if they would be interested in joining.
Essentially, in creating a clan, you are a salesman. You dress up your website in it’s finest business attire to attract the most business-like crowd. You have to SELL your clan to every potential member, and make them excited to join. The best members are always the ones who were excited from the get-go.
All potential clan-leaders have been provided enough info in this basics to get going. Please refer to our other articles for more in-depth looks at how to successfully run your clan.
By JohnnyLocke
Clan-Man Administrator
