outfits

[mikkyT]

A forum for discussion and contacting members is the most important thing besides the members themselves!

How you implement this is your business, but you could have Web forum on the website, IRC channel, e-mail list. Or some other method. Or a combination.

Website is only important to advertise your clan/outfit to other people or prospective members. If you want to recruit in person, as a more elite group recruiting people you personally want to recruit then its not needed at all.

IRC channel is only good for discussion if people use it!

The best method I have found when running a guild (EQ) and a clan (halflife) was to use Email lists, using e-groups (now called yahoogroups).

When you recruit a guy you stick his email into the group and voila, no need to maintain distribution lists you have an instant communication medium that all members can access.

It also meant that those people who couldnt access the WWW at work could read their emails and reply (we had a web forum that wasnt used as many clan members had restricted web access at work and where too busy playing when at home!)

[Euroclydon]

I think it depends on how serious the outfit is going to be.

A casual gamer's outfit does not need a website, forum, or IRC channel to have fun. Sure, they're not going to be the most successful outfit at capping bases and whatnot, but they can still have fun and just chat while online for any type of events.

Now, a serious gamer needs a website so they can post times for a big raid and you don't have to depend on "word of mouth" in game to pass the details of a raid, let alone organize one there.

[mikkyT]

Now, a serious gamer needs a website so they can post times for a big raid and you don't have to depend on "word of mouth" in game to pass the details of a raid, let alone organize one there.

What happens when people dont check teh website...

I tell you, email lists r the way to go