| Planning on making a new guild? In this guide, I will walk
you through the steps and measures you should take, as well as expected outcomes of
how well you follow
through with them. For this guide, I will be using a Neopets-related guild as my
examples. Feel free to substitute Neopets-Related for others (i.e. Harry Potter,
Role
play, ETC.).
 Finding Help:
Now, some people who are graphically AND HTML inclined, they may not want to start a
guild with someone else. If you can make rather superior graphics and are
knowledgeable in the fields of HTML and CSS (and also have a creative muse), I
strongly suggest starting it yourself. Members are more likely to join a guild if
there is
a "co-owner" position available, however you can still run a successful guild with
two people. If you do not have a high quality level graphics program
(i.e. Photoshop), I suggest you brush up on HTML and CSS. If you know HTML and CSS
well, chances are you'll find someone who is and amazing designer,
but lacks the coding techniques. Find someone who is diligent, literate, kind,
hard-working, trustworthy, and has a great personality. Advice!
I urge you not to have a whole bunch of "ownies" in your guild, even if they are
not on the council platform. When a new member joins and views the member list
and he/she sees people with admin and higher ranks, it shoots down their
determination to aim for council or a higher rank and they may either leave or
become
inactive.
 Basic Planning:
First, you need a name. Names are important! Try to stay away from the three clich?s:
Neo-, -Neo, or a guild with symbols for the name. It should be creative and
tie into how you want the vibe of your guild to go. Next, the layout should be
started. If you have found a co-owner, you may want to split the work up (i.e. one
does the image, one codes). If it is just you and you only, start designing it. Full
page layouts are generally more attractive, however it limits you to only a certain
amount of members due to different browsers. Make sure when you code your layout, it
is compatible with most browsers. You may want to find someone who has
a different browser than you and ask them if it appears to be okay. The CSS should
be eye-grabbing! If you have a colorful layout, make your CSS unique and
vibrant. If it is the classic black and white, you can still use some colors.
 Webbie, Activity Pages, ETC.:
I would recommend using an on-site webbie (as in, on a petpage) simply because it is
against Neopets rules to link to an off-site website. However, many people
have off-site webbies, so it shouldn't be a problem. If you do have an off-site
webbie, I strongly advise against Freewebs.com. The hosts I would recommend are
Sitesled.com (has downtime at least once a month, but you can host your own photos)
or WebNG.com (I've never seen downtime, but hosting your own photos is
difficult). They are both free and have plenty of space. Once again, with designing
a layout, you can either split up the work if you have a partner or do it all
yourself.
You should have on the webbie the following things: activities, rank information
(how to get upgraded), rules, fonts (optional, but appealing), goals, coming soon
items, and event information. There are many other things you could and should
have, but I leave that to your creative mind.
 Last-Minute Check-Ups:
Wait! Before you for off to advertise your new guild, make sure you have checked off
the following!
- Layout (no coding breaks or errors)
- Webbie (you have anything and everything you can think of on there)
- Systems (if you have teams, make sure everything is good and fits together. If
you have a point system, make sure there are no errors. If you have a job
system, ETC.)
- There are no spelling or grammar errors anywhere (I don't mean go spell-check
every single page, but it's more appealing if everything is typed right)
- Anything else I didn't mention (meaning go over every last detail! Perfection is
never too far away)
 Advertising:
This is a highly debatable and controversial piece. Some people say copy-and-paste
ads are okay, some say they aren't. My suggestion: Go to a guildless board and
READ their message! Chances are they probably have requirements and specifics. IF
you meet or are close to meeting their requirement, you may use a premade
ad, however, at the end, introduce yourself and tell them you're here to chat. They
like it when they talk to people, not messages. If they say no premade ads,
NO PREMADE ADS. It's as simple as that. Be as literate as possible when speaking to
a potential member! Use proper punctuation, capitalizations, spelling, and
grammar. Do not beg them to join. That's a big no-no.
Look out for a Part II: Keeping a Guild Alive, which should be up shortly if it
isn't already.
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