Clan/Team Making Guide

Note: I will also be posting this guide in the "Clan Discussion and Recruitment" section of the forums.

Welcome people! Are you looking to form a team, or band together and creat a clan? Well read this first!

First off: I have led a clan once before to the rank of around 2200. These are things I've observed and some things I should've done but didn't. These are mere recommendations, not a guide on, "Make the Best Clan Ever!", it is a guide on simple observances and ideals. I'm not saying I have the best clan or that I did have the best clan. I now lead a clan that is around rank 8000 and it took some time.
The Basics
Don't expect to take off into the rankings almost as soon as you make your clan/team. It can take some time. It all depends on how many members you have, how active you all are, and how many matches you play. 500 experience will gain you and your clan/team 1 (one) clan point. If you look at teams/clans around 2000 they have around 2000ish clan points. It will take a while to sometimes get known. Somethings I notice that attract recruits are:
A voice server
Good players
Bribes of being LT (Don't do this please. ^^)
Friends in the clan
Youtube Channel w/ Videos (<-- Gets you VERY well known)

Suggestions:

Have People Ready To Serve!
Don't make a team/clan without recruits already ready to join it. If you do, (Like I did -.-) it will take even longer to get going, and you may not take off at all. Have some friends ready to join when you make it, because more members mean more activity, more activity means higher rank, and higher rank USUALLY means more recruits, which then the process will repeat basically.

Voice Server!
Many of you say now, "Oh I don't need a voice server!" or, "I can't afford one." and more oftenly, "I don't have a microphone..." For those who say they don't need one think about this: If you're a competitive clan, wouldn't you like to be a high rank? Haven't you noticed that a high majority of the top 1000 clans/teams have a voice server? Rethink that, and then decide. Not only is a voice server good, but it also attracts recruits, as previously stated. For those who "...can't afford one." I suggest using RaidCall. RaidCall is a free voice server program and designed for gaming. People say RaidCall is trash, but me and my clan think completely opposite. RaidCall, unlike Ventrilo or TeamSpeak3, broadcasts your voice to the server, then the server broadcasts it to your friends in RaidCall, which reduces latency and lag, where as Ventrilo and TeamSpeak broadcast straight to your friends, and if your internet connection isn't the best at that time, can make your mic lag and your hearing lag, just as your ping spikes in Cross Fire. Note that just because RaidCall has an indirect broadcast system it doesn't have a delay on voice what so ever. I don't think RaidCall has limits on how many people can join your server either! For those who, "...don't have a microphone" I suggest you get one, because, as previously stated, it attracts more recruits. Not only is a voice server good to have, but it is easier than typing in a clan war and better to discuss strategies and enemy whereabouts.

Setting Up Discipline!
You need to have discipline in your clan, but also fun. Ie: My clan, I realized we weren't getting enough clan points as much as we used to, this is because we were goofing off in games and not doing as much clan wars. So, to fix this issue we had at hand, I made Saturday an official day of clan wars. From 12:00 PM EST my clan clan wars non-stop (Unless there aren't enough people on to clan war) until 2:00 PM EST. This helps our clan keep a constant flow of clan points rising in the clan, and boosts our teamwork.

-Choosing your LT's
Make sure to choose your LT's for your team/clan wisely, as they can not only be the helper in your clan, but they can also be your downfall. My last clan LT turned out to be a hacker and was immediately kicked from the clan without any heads up or warning, because I, nor my clan, tolerate hackers. After news got out of this (Because the reason we found out he was a hacker was because someone posted the proof on the forums.) my clan was called a, "Hacker Clan" which was an utter lie. After something like this we lost a few members and had to earn a little respect back it felt like from the CF community. Pick your LTs wisely. Make sure to pick someone who won't rage kick someone for "personal" reasons. Make sure to pick someone who you can trust to maintain the clan if you have to take a couple weeks worth vacation and you won't be able to access a computer. There needs to be a strong trust relationship between you and your LTs.

-Activity
A common issue with most new clans, ACTIVITY. You need to recruit members that are active constantly. To help enforce these rules, set up a clan rule that (We'll use Joe Blow as an example) if anyone is inactive for more than let's say 2 weeks then Joe Blow will be kicked without warning and be sent an in game message reasoning why he was kicked. Make sure to tell your members that if they are going on a vacation or something that they notify you or yout LTs so that they are not kicked for false inactivity as I like to call it.

Make Sure To Have Fun!
Having fun is basically why this game was made. Remember this is a video game, not life or death. Make sure to have fun in this game, and don't get too mad if you lose. DO NOT blame one member because he "Didn't get the kill" or, "He didn't obey you", because this is the quickest way possible to kill your clan. Doing this to your members will make them leave and if you do it in front of other members they'll want to leave you too, after they see the way you've treated them. I like to use the common phrase, "There's no I in 'Team'" to reinforce my self before I accidentally go in Rage Mode on my clan mates. Some people say, "But there IS an I in 'Win'". But remember this: All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it's just a piece of aluminum reflecting the sun's beautiful rays. Basically what that means to me is, "Winning isn't everything!"

Thank you for reading my observances and ideals on how to make better clan/team beginnings.

*Sticky requested please*

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