Hello and let me be the first to welcome you to this week's The Guild Emblem.  This week will be part 2 of the multi-part series on guild government and leadership.  This week's article will focus on the importance of rules and enforcing them.  I will show you examples of different Codes of Conduct from unnamed clans.  I will also give suggestions on how you should implement and enforce these rules.  As a warning the words clan and guild will be used interchangeably throughout the article because of the wordage of Codes of Conduct and they mean the same thing.  I hope you learn and enjoy.

Below is an example of a Code of Conduct (CoC) from a clan which we will call Clan X.  Highlighted in green is what I suggest using that would be different from the basic non-highlighted ones (those I would also suggest keeping though it is more based on specific clans) and in red is what I suggest is not used.

Clan X

CODE OF CONDUCT

Strive to conduct ourselves in an appropriate manner

Offer help to anyone who seeks it, if it is possible

Project a positive image of yourself and Clan X  to others

Put the needs of the clan first, above personal goals

Support members of Clan X

Attempt to resolve personal differences directly with the concerned individual(s)

Remind other Clan X members of expected conduct in a tactful, non- threatening way, and if possible, in private

Promote fellowship within the game community

Do not condemn or humiliate other clan members

Win and lose games honorably, show sportsmanship

Maintain Clan X loyalty

Repeated violation of the code of conduct will cause expulsion from Clan X

In this CoC I have six different points highlighted in green and one in red.  First I have highlighted, "Strive to conduct ourselves in an appropriate manner."  I have this highlighted because it can cover a wide variety of subjects, while being specific enough to enforce.  It can be expanded for specific rules such as no racism, vile language, etc.  "Offer help to anyone who seeks it, if it is possible," is highlighted because it shows a good sense of community.  Even though it is tough to enforce a good community strengthens a guild.  "Project a positive image of yourself and Clan X to others," is green because it tells people to project themselves in a good manner and do not portray a bag image to the clan to other gamers.  "Support members of Clan X," is green for the same reason as the second one.  "Promote fellowship within the game community," helps portray your clan as a friendly environment and helps recruiting.  "Win and lose games honorably, show sportsmanship," is important if your clan involves in clan vs. clan battle frequently. 

Now the red one says, "Put the need of the clan first, above personal goals."  I believe that a caln needs to be understanding to maintain a friendly environment.  Jobs and school should come before gaming anyday.  The other points are fairly standard and are usually included in most CoCs, but also do depend on the clan.  "Attempt to resolve personal differences directly with the concerned individual(s)," is one in particular that depends on the clan.  Some clans prefer that it be taken straight to an officer instead.  Coming up with a CoC depends very much so on the type of community you possess and your goals as a clan.  If you need help forming your own CoC e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I will be glad to help. 

Enforcing rules is as important as making them.  Having the right amount of enforcement is key to maintaining a happy environment.  Some rules should be enforced or more effort should be put into finding the guilty party. Offenses to rules such as help another member is harder and more wasted effort to enforce than a no racism offense.  Keeping a strict policy on flaming and stuff similar to that is key to having a friendly environment. People who send of bad messages should be punished.  Enforcing the rules that you apply is very important to the clan's happiness.

I hope you learned a lot and enjoyed reading.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, suggestions, or want specific help.  I am also looking for a fairly large sized guild or clan that I can visit and observe for a little and do a piece on their government and leadership. If you are interested in using my system that was suggested in part 1 or have your own system that you think works very well please contact me and let me observe. Thank you for reading.

 J Gard

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jgard