What do you look for in a guild?

While looking around I have seen very few guilds with which I feel there might even be a slight chance I could fit into neatly if I decide to move to another one.  Thing being that right now, as odd as this sounds, hunters are wanted.  How strange is that?

Most of the guilds I've looked at I look for certain things.  One being the other hunters.  If a guild has a lot of hunters then me getting into the ICC 25s will be harder and when I do get into one winning a roll will be harder.  Not saying I want easy loot but I also do not want to get into an ICC 25 where there are 5 hunters and we have to see a drop 5 times before I get it because either I get unlucky with the roll or they have a time served first sort of thing running.

Second thing I look at is their forums.  This is a huge decision on whether I want to join a guild or not.  Sadly this is also something that I have noticed nearly no guilds have, or at least do not have public.  Rarely do you ever see an active forums section for any guild and the ones that do seem to have active forums seem to be the type of guilds I would want nothing to do with.  Tons of posts with all stupid crap and everyone calling everyone else a noob and saying l2p.

How people interact with each other on the forums tells you a lot about the team itself.  If the team can not even joke around professional and adult then what can you expect from them when it is time to get down to business.  Sure, you can not judge a book by it's cover but that does leave a really had first impression.  I guess that is as bad as judging people by gear score.  But posts on a form is something that people choose to post, so it is a bit more telling then gear score would be.  Gear score just shows what you have had the chance to get.  Posting is different.  Can't say, well, I've never had the chance not to post like a complete and total moron.

Seeing rejected applications is also something that makes me lean one way over another.  How do they look at people that do not match up with them.  Are they respectful of them or do they insult them?  If someone applies with gear that is not enchanted do they tell them they have no business applying and are an idiot to think they deserve a shot being they can't even enchant their gear or do they tell them that lack of enchantments make them unable to accept them at the moment and then explain to them what they might need to do and welcome them to apply again once they understand the role they are applying for better.  Seeing a rejection like that puts that guild right at the top of my list.

I want to run with people that know how to have fun and can even joke with one another but not ones that are obsessively joking and abusive to people at any given chance.  I guess that comes from being a leader myself or maybe it is just a sign I am getting old.

Another thing I look for is the time and days they run.  Most are somewhere between 6 PM server time and midnight.  Later is not so great for me but the start times fit okay.  So that is really not as much of an issue.  I can stay up an hour later a couple nights a week, it will not kill me and the start times are usually fine all around.

I thought about just pugging ICC 25s but each time I see people looking for people for a 25 they will not allow nonguild members to roll on gear tokens and trinkets.  While I do completely understand that I have to ask what they think my desire to join their raid would be if I can not get the things I need from it?  Sure, I can use the bow and the legs (being they are better then the set legs) from ICC 25 but outside of that I need the tokens and the trinket more then anything else.  I would gladly join any run that at least gave me a fair shot at them.

I then thought of option three, running my own pug with guildies I am currently with and adding what we need to get to 25.  The thing now comes to mind.  Do I act like a complete ass like other guild leaders and say that tokens and trinkets are for guildies only?  I am not a jerk like that.  Sure, I can be at times but over all I really do not like doing things like that.

I am thinking there has to be a better way to run pugs with nonguild members then telling them they have no rights to items.

Maybe make a rule that all guild members get a modifier of +10 or +15.  So if they roll an 80 it is really a 90 or 95.  That way it gives the guild members a good chance to win something over nonguild members and it also gives nonguild members a chance to win something.  Better then telling them they can not win anything at all.

I know I would be more likely to join a group like that because I know at least there is an outside chance I can still get it.  It is better then not having any chance at all.

The reason I bring that up is because one guild I would consider as they have offered me a position a few times already does that when they pug and that is the only reason they stay #3 on my potential list.  Sure, if I joined them it would not be an issue but being they do that is something I do not like to see.  If I join any guild it has to be a guild that is reasonable and respectable.  I do not see the practice of limiting people from getting things when they are just as responsible for helping you beat the boss as you are as something that is completely wrong.  If they act like that when pugging what sort of crazy rules will I have to deal with inside the guild.  Are they going to tell me that because I did not hit 8K on the boss I can not roll on something?

What do you look for when you are looking for a guild?

I wish mine did not run into problems because it seems I was lucky enough to find one that was everything I could have ever wanted.