Post by Zeli on Aug 2, 2007 19:23:15 GMT -5
I wrote a long reply on what I've learned about having a successful guild website on GuildCafe.
RE: Guild Websites: Crossing the chasm from eye candy to virtual meeting hall
By Zeli
05-23-2007, 12:11 PM
A guild website can be an important and useful tool if used correctly. If not used right, it can just be alot of work wasted that no one checks out.
CoT was kind of created on a spur-of-the-moment. We wanted to stay together, yet as a casual group, we're not always in game. It was important for us to have a central place on the web to connect. The internet is loaded with guild websites that are empty ghost-towns. If I was going to do the work, I wanted our site to be active. As a former English/Literature student, I had no idea how to create such a place. I decided the best way to learn was to check out the guild websites that were active and see what features contributed to that. As someone who was unfamiliar with the guilds I was looking at, it also helped me understand what features were necessary for new people to navigate the site easily.
The thing I've learned is that, it can be hard to get people to check the website. Some people are not forum people. In order to draw people in, you have to do a few key things:
1. Make it attractive. If the website is an eyesore, people aren't going to look at it. You don't have to be a web designer to make the site look attractive. The less you know about making a website, the more simple you should keep your design or use one of the hosting sites that allow for easy designing (like on GuildCafe). Sometimes the more you add, the more distracting the site can be from the important information.
2. Make it pertain to the members. There are many ways to do this. Include a screenshots area and allow people to submit their own to be shown. CoT has a featured mini-screenshot on the main page that changes on each visit or refresh. We also have an area for screenshots, and another area for member profiles. The profiles can be updated anytime a member e-mails me new info. We also have guild quotes that refresh on our forums. These are usually funny to the members and rekindle some fond memories we shared. This helps people see that they're really an important part of the guild and that the guild appreciates them. The guild site becomes a source of gaming pride. It also shows new people that this guild matters to each other.
3. Make it useful - You can include various guides and tools to help your members in the game you are in. You will know what is most useful to your members for the game you are playing. We have a regularly updated Links page for whatever game we're currently in. It's a simple thing to do and people will check your site to use it rather than bookmark a ton of different sites.
4. Keep your forums active. This is probably the most difficult. Unfortunately you can't just set up a forum and expect people to use it. Most people check a forum for conversations and then just offer their 2 cents on ones they find interesting. If there are no new conversations happening, day after day, eventually people stop even checking. You need to regularly post news on the guild and the game. Post happy birthday notices to your members. Start silly forum games. Let people use sigs and avatars. Maybe you all like a certain TV show and you can start a discussion of that. If you're roleplayers, then an area for RPing is a way to get that going. It doesn't all have to be about the game. Anything to make sure there's something new and interesting there to engage people. Also posting guild event plans in advance will help people coordinate and save you in game organization time and allow more people to participate. This is a good selling point to those folks who say they can't be bothered with out of game stuff. Make it so that the guildies who check the site are in the know. We make new members register on the forum and post an introduction before they get invited to the guild. This lets us know that the new person at least knows where to go for guild information and allows us to give them the appropriate access. After that, it's up to them. We don't ever make anyone check it after that, but most do.
5. Keep the rest of your site up to date. If you have a news area, make sure you always have something for the current month showing (at least). If you have a links page, make sure they work. If you have a members area, keep it current. You have to make a commitment to updating these types of things or your guild site will suffer. New people checking out your guild will see old stuff as a sign that the guild is not kept up.
6. Make the whole thing easy to navigate for potential new recruits. What's obvious to you is not always obvious to others. You designed the site, your members have explored every nook and cranny. You know where everything is. New people are not going to spend this kind of time looking for the information they need. On your first front page, include the basics or at least link to the basics.
What game are you playing? What server? This may be obvious to you and your members but new people need this info. I've seen alot of guild websites, impressive and active ones, but there's no indication as to what or where they play. Don't get too big for your britches and think that everyone worth having already knows your guild. As a person looking for a new guild, if you're on a EU server and I'm in US, then I don't want to waste my time looking all over for that info.
Make your guild rules, structure and any joining procedures easy to find.
Some things that aren't necessary but are fun: guild email, IM/chat name exchange, guild myspace, guild facebook groups, guild frappr, anything that lets your guildies connect is usually good and these things do not require much updating. We've recently started a guild newsletter that gives highlights to the previous month and spotlights upcoming events and current issues.
Circle of Trust has been around since March 2003. We still have 6 of our original founding members and most of the others have been with us over 2 years. We have stayed together through a couple of games and are currently awaiting WAR. I can honestly say that we have stayed together because we have an out of game area to keep coming back to. Because of our website, our guild has become more than just a means to an end in a game. These things are basic and alot of people are probably saying "DUH" right now, but there are tons of guild websites out there that don't do these things and they become just some outdated website before they even get started.
source: GuildCafe.com
RE: Guild Websites: Crossing the chasm from eye candy to virtual meeting hall
By Zeli
05-23-2007, 12:11 PM
A guild website can be an important and useful tool if used correctly. If not used right, it can just be alot of work wasted that no one checks out.
CoT was kind of created on a spur-of-the-moment. We wanted to stay together, yet as a casual group, we're not always in game. It was important for us to have a central place on the web to connect. The internet is loaded with guild websites that are empty ghost-towns. If I was going to do the work, I wanted our site to be active. As a former English/Literature student, I had no idea how to create such a place. I decided the best way to learn was to check out the guild websites that were active and see what features contributed to that. As someone who was unfamiliar with the guilds I was looking at, it also helped me understand what features were necessary for new people to navigate the site easily.
The thing I've learned is that, it can be hard to get people to check the website. Some people are not forum people. In order to draw people in, you have to do a few key things:
1. Make it attractive. If the website is an eyesore, people aren't going to look at it. You don't have to be a web designer to make the site look attractive. The less you know about making a website, the more simple you should keep your design or use one of the hosting sites that allow for easy designing (like on GuildCafe). Sometimes the more you add, the more distracting the site can be from the important information.
2. Make it pertain to the members. There are many ways to do this. Include a screenshots area and allow people to submit their own to be shown. CoT has a featured mini-screenshot on the main page that changes on each visit or refresh. We also have an area for screenshots, and another area for member profiles. The profiles can be updated anytime a member e-mails me new info. We also have guild quotes that refresh on our forums. These are usually funny to the members and rekindle some fond memories we shared. This helps people see that they're really an important part of the guild and that the guild appreciates them. The guild site becomes a source of gaming pride. It also shows new people that this guild matters to each other.
3. Make it useful - You can include various guides and tools to help your members in the game you are in. You will know what is most useful to your members for the game you are playing. We have a regularly updated Links page for whatever game we're currently in. It's a simple thing to do and people will check your site to use it rather than bookmark a ton of different sites.
4. Keep your forums active. This is probably the most difficult. Unfortunately you can't just set up a forum and expect people to use it. Most people check a forum for conversations and then just offer their 2 cents on ones they find interesting. If there are no new conversations happening, day after day, eventually people stop even checking. You need to regularly post news on the guild and the game. Post happy birthday notices to your members. Start silly forum games. Let people use sigs and avatars. Maybe you all like a certain TV show and you can start a discussion of that. If you're roleplayers, then an area for RPing is a way to get that going. It doesn't all have to be about the game. Anything to make sure there's something new and interesting there to engage people. Also posting guild event plans in advance will help people coordinate and save you in game organization time and allow more people to participate. This is a good selling point to those folks who say they can't be bothered with out of game stuff. Make it so that the guildies who check the site are in the know. We make new members register on the forum and post an introduction before they get invited to the guild. This lets us know that the new person at least knows where to go for guild information and allows us to give them the appropriate access. After that, it's up to them. We don't ever make anyone check it after that, but most do.
5. Keep the rest of your site up to date. If you have a news area, make sure you always have something for the current month showing (at least). If you have a links page, make sure they work. If you have a members area, keep it current. You have to make a commitment to updating these types of things or your guild site will suffer. New people checking out your guild will see old stuff as a sign that the guild is not kept up.
6. Make the whole thing easy to navigate for potential new recruits. What's obvious to you is not always obvious to others. You designed the site, your members have explored every nook and cranny. You know where everything is. New people are not going to spend this kind of time looking for the information they need. On your first front page, include the basics or at least link to the basics.
What game are you playing? What server? This may be obvious to you and your members but new people need this info. I've seen alot of guild websites, impressive and active ones, but there's no indication as to what or where they play. Don't get too big for your britches and think that everyone worth having already knows your guild. As a person looking for a new guild, if you're on a EU server and I'm in US, then I don't want to waste my time looking all over for that info.
Make your guild rules, structure and any joining procedures easy to find.
Some things that aren't necessary but are fun: guild email, IM/chat name exchange, guild myspace, guild facebook groups, guild frappr, anything that lets your guildies connect is usually good and these things do not require much updating. We've recently started a guild newsletter that gives highlights to the previous month and spotlights upcoming events and current issues.
Circle of Trust has been around since March 2003. We still have 6 of our original founding members and most of the others have been with us over 2 years. We have stayed together through a couple of games and are currently awaiting WAR. I can honestly say that we have stayed together because we have an out of game area to keep coming back to. Because of our website, our guild has become more than just a means to an end in a game. These things are basic and alot of people are probably saying "DUH" right now, but there are tons of guild websites out there that don't do these things and they become just some outdated website before they even get started.
source: GuildCafe.com