Web Sites - You Should Probably Consider One

One of the things you need to sort out in your head before you undertake guild creation is whether or not you need an external web presence. It isn't mandatory, it isn't crucial in all cases, but you do need to be aware of its uses.

If you are simply waking up in the morning going 'o hai I want a guild!' then you probably don't need to worry about a site for your impending fail.

If you are pulling together a bunch of family/close buddies/college dudes and have other forms of social networking, a site becomes a lot less critical.

If you plan to: Raid/run lots of instances/intend to do a lot of public recruiting/grow a mid to large size social guild for psychological experiments/are attempting any sort of bizarre social confluence - you probably want a site.

At first, you are best advised to go as el cheapo as possible. There are a large number of free and idiot-proof options available: Guildportal and Guildomatic, Guildhosting, etc (Note: I do not personally endorse any of these services, although my guild presently maintains an upgraded site via one of these services. YMMV) will all offer a basic free template service to get your feet wet. Ideally you want forums for people to chat in, a calendar to host your events, and down the line, you will probably want to consider springing for a Vent setup depending on guild needs. None of this is tricky or difficult to do. All of it can be set up via template addons through the big sites.

If you are more creative, have minimal coding, a buddy with a server, or some patience, you can, of course, really branch out. I have seen guild 'sites' that are simply a spider's web of interlinked forums and message threads. I have seen, much to my delight, Wiki-style guildsites that make members feel that much more involved with the thing. I have seen custom sites to beat the band. Even knowing a dude that can GIMP up a good banner for you can make a huge difference.

In any case, this gives you a presence - a thing you can point at when you trawl the official forums, when you hit up /trade to blurb your guild. A place you can properly store your FAQ and loot policies (YOU HAVE THOSE, RIGHT??) and put up guild achievements you can be proud of.

A place you can have drama, flamewars, photoshopped pics of your members in compromising positions, and shoutouts to jerkoffs you have known. C'mon, without a good site, where is WoWinsider going to get its best drama posts from?