Has it ever been your dream to be the leader of a successful guild? Well it was my dream and I succeeded so I am here to help you. I worked long on my guild and finally I got it just right. In nine easy steps you can have a good guild!
First You are gonna need a theme for your guild like Harry Potter or Paint Brushes or Avatars (mine is Paint Brushes)
Second You need a unique name for your guild and preferably not one with chatspeak (my guild name is Paint Brushes Etc.)
Third You need a layout to match your name. Your layout can be pre-made at first but after a while it is a good idea to get a custom one (somebody on the guild board can probably help you on a layout)
Fourth You need a few dedicated members. You should ask those of your neofriends who dont have guilds but dont harass them if they say no.
Fifth Once you have about five members you need to have some contests and prizes. A good one is where people donate to your shop and you use the money to buy something and you pick a name out of a hat (be aware you should always post how much is in your guild till on your guild front page)
Sixth ADVERTISE! Make a nice banner or two and get your members to post it in their shops and lookups and do the same yourself. Also make some boards on the guild message boards and post what your guild does. (post theme, activities, and about active message boards)
Seventh Now you have more members people will be applying for council. Make sure to consider each and every application and pick only the best not just the first.
Eighth Now you have a council and more members you can start more contests. Start out with cheaper contests like a referral race and wait till your guild members feel more comfortable donating then you can move onto paint brush giveaways.
***Ninth *** If you have a paint brushes or avatar themed guild I would suggest having an adoption agency. In an adoption agency you can have painted or limited edition pets and people will apply for them and if you think they would be a good owner you attempt to transfer them through the pound. (be sure not to ask for AIM or promise the pet to someone certainly because asking for AIM is against the rules and once a pet is in the pound anyone can get it although knowing when it will be pounded will help)
If you follow these steps you should have a good guild! Please note that some themes may attract more people than others so you may want to consider that. The ninth step is a bonus that wont always work but if you or your guild members have the lab ray I strongly suggest at least trying it! – Prettylady34