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Immer
Gentleman
Premium Member
join:2010-01-07
Evans, GA

1 edit

Immer to mettachain

Premium Member

to mettachain

Re: Gift ideas for guildies

I was highlighting the fact that my statement wasn't refuting yours... but allowing for multiple factors and a range of experience.

The addage of the fish works, but I find that the man who has tasted great fish is more interested in learning to fish for himself. So, if my fish is wasted and he walks out on his fishing lesson, no biggie... I have plenty of fish.

If your server is highly competitive... handouts are handouts and turnover is rampant... so best to just drive on and have everyone earn everything... by sticking around and contributing. But if turnover isn't an issue, but burnout is... then gifts can serve as incentive to keep at it... that you are not forgotten, even if you couldn't log on in the past week due to RL.

Also in low-pop/casual situations, if I know my raiders don't get a lot of play time, I'll still gear them up, so that when they do get the chance to play, they can make the most of it, rather than grind out some profession on their own... further burning them out.

So you see, James T Kirk... at no time have I said you weren't right... but the degree to which gifting becomes a problem varies. There are risks that need to be planned for and mitigated as much as possible. There is a huge difference between entitlement and charity.

edit: but we tend to shower folks that reach 85 on their mains with stuff to help them through that leveling grind... and again at 90 to get them over the 450 hump.

mettachain
Goblineer
join:2011-09-27
Azeroth

mettachain

Member

said by Immer:

I was highlighting the fact that my statement wasn't refuting yours... but allowing for multiple factors and a range of experience.

Of course. Here's what I think our disconnect is. I'm reading the OP and what I take away from it is, he would like to know some gifts ideas for lower level players, not raiders. That's what I ran with. Both you and DarkLogix obviously are running with players who are level capped, as you pointedly mention "your raiders" in the below quote. "Gifts," in my mind, aren't really something you get when you're level capped and contributing to the guild as a raider. At that level, it is expected that being in a raiding guild, casual or not, is a give and take relationship. You can't raid and expect to have all food/flasks/pots provided to you 100% of the time with no contribution by the individual player. Contributions can then range in tiers as well, from providing mats and enchants/craftables to researching fights thoroughly and then explaining a strategy to the rest of the raid.
said by Immer:

If your server is highly competitive... handouts are handouts and turnover is rampant... so best to just drive on and have everyone earn everything... by sticking around and contributing. But if turnover isn't an issue, but burnout is... then gifts can serve as incentive to keep at it... that you are not forgotten, even if you couldn't log on in the past week due to RL.

What type of "gifts" in your opinion would drive a player to keep at a grind for rep/gear if they don't like what they're doing? Honestly, I might do daily quests if I was the only enchanter in a raid group and the group needed those high level enchants from Shado-pan if the GM paid me 1,000 gold per week. Maybe.
said by Immer:

Also in low-pop/casual situations, if I know my raiders don't get a lot of play time, I'll still gear them up, so that when they do get the chance to play, they can make the most of it, rather than grind out some profession on their own... further burning them out.

Okay, I think I addressed this in my first rebuttal paragraph. I still think level capped toons is NOT what the OP was thinking about.

Immer
Gentleman
Premium Member
join:2010-01-07
Evans, GA

2 edits

Immer

Premium Member

right, and I do get where you are coming from. But offering a bag at lvl 10, some profession mats at lvl 40, a tmog run at 60, a mount run at 80, gear at 85 and gear at 90 isn't really a recipe for Welfare Fraud disaster across the board, either. It might be the one thing that sets his guild apart from other leveling guilds. Will some people take their gifts and run? sure... but you also might develop a long-time guildie through it also.
said by mettachain:

What type of "gifts" in your opinion would drive a player to keep at a grind for rep/gear if they don't like what they're doing? Honestly, I might do daily quests if I was the only enchanter in a raid group and the group needed those high level enchants from Shado-pan if the GM paid me 1,000 gold per week. Maybe.

gifts don't "drive" players to respond... those are not gifts. Those are employment contracts, lol. Just like having a smoking area with nice benches and shade, or providing a stocked breakroom... some employees really respond to those types of "benefits" while others think they are a waste of money that should be coming to them in bonus checks.

edit: by the way, I'm just in this for the discussion of management styles.

mettachain
Goblineer
join:2011-09-27
Azeroth

mettachain

Member

From OP:
said by Carpie:

So I'm trying to keep the guild experience fun for them and have decided that for each 10 levels they achieve, they will get a gift mailed to them from their friendly GM. So far they only "Ding" has been level 10 and I sent them each 10 gold and a 12 slot bag.

I'd like to sit down and create a list of what gifts I'll give at which level achievements (especially since I just recruited someone who will be hitting level 50 here shortly) and am looking for ideas. What types of gifts do you think would be valued and appropriate for each of the tier of 10 levels?

said by Immer:

right, and I do get where you are coming from. But offering a bag at lvl 10, some profession mats at lvl 40, a tmog run at 60, a mount run at 80, gear at 85 and gear at 90 isn't really a recipe for Welfare Fraud disaster across the board, either.

I believe the gold "gift" is what might the beginnings of a "Welfare Fraud disaster." Your suggestions at the different levels you listed seem legit enough and I agree with this. The monetary reward is NOT something either of us would recommend though. I think through thorough discussion here we have come to an agreement. Useful items/achievements are what would garner future involvement from players in the guild. Monetary rewards will have a negative impact, almost always.
cigtyme
Coonass and Proud of it
join:2010-08-17
Houma, LA

cigtyme to Immer

Member

to Immer
Locks are made for honest people is the saying right? Gifts can be a good or bad thing. Some will abuse it, and some will be a positive guildy. It is just the way things are. Whats the difference between gifting to a guildy who leaves, or a guildy who gets a piece of gear in a raid and leaves. From level 1 to level 90 it can happen.

If i were joining a guild and recieved gifts from certain task, part of me would expect more.

It is kind of like giving money to one of the bell shakers at Xmas time. You can put in a few bucks. Sometimes the dollars may help someone in need, and sometimes they end up in the bell-ringers pocket.
JoelC707
Premium Member
join:2002-07-09
Lanett, AL

JoelC707 to mettachain

Premium Member

to mettachain
said by mettachain:

Useful items/achievements are what would garner future involvement from players in the guild. Monetary rewards will have a negative impact, almost always.

This is very true. Fresh 80 joined my guild a year or so ago. He leveled from 80 to 85 quickly and became a valuable member of the guild. One of the things he told me kept him around was the atmosphere and how he felt "welcome" and the fact we took him on fun runs with us. We took him with us to UBRS (don't even remember why we went there) and figured "hey, let's get him the jenkins title while we're here". At that point, any of us, even he could have done it on his own but it was the fact we took him with us and got him that title. He still uses it to this day lol.