Hi guys its Miss_Reaper89 again AKA Vicki,

Im writing a few tips and guides on making a clan, keeping a clan and growing as a clan.

Idea

Everyone has an idea on what they want from a clan. Make sure you keep that in mind at all times to avoid straying and it becoming something even you dont want to be involved in! You need to go into it with some flexibilty however. Understand that everyone has their own idea's and wants them to be valued in a clan, so you may have a member who has some pretty good idea's on how to progress but it isn't what you want for your clan then state that.

Name

You'll need a name that catches members, is memorable when you have an astounding game against others and makes sense!Try and base it on your idea of what your clan will be like, or incorporate an army-like name to give the impression that your clan with be militant. (However militant clans, as good as they are, will be very hard on you and expect the best, this can make it a rare occurance that they get members, but when they do, they're usually very good). My clans name holds the location that we require memberships from, a word describing our gameplay and then a militant word like battallion/company/squadron etc. Some good idea's to make it sound professional can come from war films, history, or books.

You'll find a lot of clans have either their location or a phrase that can be taken to be offensive or challenging.

Setting up on Elite

So you have to go through Elite to make your clan. It's not difficult to find how to do, I'm pretty sure it's an option on your clan HQ. Create your name and your away. You may wish to link your Elite to Youtube account so you can upload any video's too.

Applying for members

Use the forums, thats the best advice i can give. Use them Daily if possible and stay online to check in for responses. I use this one and the clan recruitment hub on MW3 (even though most people advertising on there are for BO2). I've found the best type of advert has a brief and direct title. For example; ''Clan name'', ''platform'', ''game'', and a short description like 'be involved from the start as we're fairly new' or my favourite 'close-knit'.

In the main part of the discussion/ad, you should repeat the vital information from the title and highlight some other key aspects depending on what you find works. 'Online now' allows players to know that if they apply now, they should get a quick response.

'Accepting anyone' allows players to know that their k/d ratio isn't going to affect them being accepted. This attracts a lot of people, but there can be complications with opening your clan to anyone and everyone. Each member you accept is now representing your clan, and in turn yourself.

'Level ??' stating your level can be advantagous, especially if it's high. Players are particularly attracted to Gold Clan Tags, which is simply a level 10 clan unlock.

I've had members apply because; they wanted to be one of the first in clan, they wanted to help, they were looking for night-time players, they wanted a different type of gameplay, because their mate joined and because they wanted a clan in a certain location.

Research

As a leader you should be gaining knowledge into Black Ops 2 or whatever COD game you intend to specialize into.

You can do this by frequently visiting the news, forums and video's on Elite. Research is essential for you clan to progress. You need to be catering to your member's needs by researching things they have sparked an interest in. Informing them of anything and directing them elsewhere if you cannot help yourself.

Websites

Most clans have their own private web page. This can be free if you are not paying for a domain. Paying for a domain would give you the privilege to name the web site exclusively to you and allow to have more control on what the site looks like. However, you can obtain a webpage through other sites for free. Simply type into a search engine for free websites.

Once you set a website up, you need to manage it well. Try appointing some-one from your clan to regularly check in too and in one swift move you've also added the point of promotions into your clan.

You should keep all your information backed up, in particular your members and their clan tags. Although you can find these on Elite, it's handy to keep a record.

In other aspects, you should try and fill your website with everything your clan will need, from tutorials, forums to a standard expectations/rules page. Don't expect your clan members to feel comfortable sharing their personal information including their name sometimes unless you have some kind of protection for them on the website.

Now you've got members...what next?

By researching, you should have an idea of how to enlist into clan operations, challenges and league play.

Use all of the game modes and custom game rules to your advantage. A lot of clans have Clan Nights where all members are expected to join in play on one particular night.

Keep in touch with every member, ideally they will become a good friend.

Ask for help! If you need feedback from someone, just ask! There's no shame in wanting to improve your plans and idea's.

Maintenance and abandoning your clan.

To maintain your clan should be easier as you grow, other members will want to do things and be involved. As long as your happy with their idea's, you'll be okay. Always be forward about what your ok with and what your not.

Many people start off a clan and abandon it within a week or month. Before dropping it entirely, think of putting it up for new management. You can advertise that you wish to stop leading a clan and if you have members, offer the position to them instead or see if anyone wants to take it over from a forum. Many clan leaders will take the members off and onto their own, stripping it right back and deleting it. Of course if you have no members, the concept of putting it up for adoption is pointless. However there may be some members of existing clans that desire the recognition and accomplishment of leading their own clan and will take yours on.

Extra's

Some clans have extra unique qualities.

Each member is unique and in the right team will announce their skills and allow others to request something from them. Different roles in the clan could be; Graphics Artist, Admin, Team Leaders, Managing Director, Co-Leader, Intelligence, Research, Marketing, Media etc. Obviously these are rather executive titles, but they help members feel important. And their role is exactly that. You could have one concentrating on emblems, one for website, one arranging matches and games, one liasoning with the rest of the clan and handling any problems, a co-leader, members coming up with idea's and classes to work at their advantage, research team to update the clan with news, marketing for advertising and recruitment and media for members to upload video's to youtube or their website.

The possibility's are endless!

Thanks for reading guys, hope i've helped

Miss_Reaper89