Star Trek Gamers - ClanBase

Getting your clan member active

Part 1 - Event's, Awards and Tournaments.

Running a clan used to mean just throwing up any old site and getting your new members to put tags on and play the games.  Thing's have changed though.  Due to the new style of games coming out since 2005 gamers these days and especially clans are expected to do more than just pass the time for the gamers who is taking part in it.

Keeping your clan members active and interested in your clan doesn't need to be an uphill struggle, infact keeping them active and playing the games you cover can actually be quite easy.  The quickest way to do it would be getting your clan involved in a public tournament or ladder system or setting up your own ladder league internally.

The Clan Tournament...

1. Ladder league systems have been in place in some trek games for a while, check up on the games community first to see if there is already a league taking place.
    

2. If you do not want to put your clan into a public league but would rather have them in your own private invitation only league then sites like www.cugs.org can rent out your own private league for your clan members and anyone else you want to personally invite in.
    

3. It's usually best to start your clan in solo leagues first so they can get used to 1 v 1 matches more quickly.  After a month or so you can start to dabble in 2 v 2, 3 v 3 or full clan tournaments.
    

4. Regular clan based tournament schedules (like every second friday or so) would be a good idea to hold along side a "play anytime" rule for the tournament.  Scheduled tournaments involving your entire clan would get the members to know each other in-game which is the foundation of all good clans.
    

5. Small awards should be given out to the player in your clan who wins a tournament or hold the top position in your clan league for more than 3 weeks or so.  It encourages competition within the clan and also gives your best players something to work for.  Awards can take the shape of special commendations or special award ribbons for their forum signature.

Special Clan Events...

1. Event's should not be held every week, special events are just that, special, and should be something your clan members look forward to once every 2 weeks or once a month.
    

2. Events can take the shape of almost anything related to gaming or even the clan website forum, here is some idea's to get your going.
   
   *Clan Recruitment Drives - a clan member who manages to recruit a certain amount of new players into your game.
   
   *Clan Challenges - a clan member who manages to win a certain amount of games against another clan member
   
   *Signature Competitions - get your graphical wizards in your clan to make the best forum signature they can
    

3. Event prizes can take the form of anything, from a simple forum signature ribbon to small cash prizes of $20 or so.

General Clan Awards...

1. Recognising outstanding and special members of your clan is something which every clan should do.
    

2. Simple things like the following should merit a special clan award
   
   *Most active clan member
   
   *Clan member who has recruited the most players
   
   *Clan member who has helped train other members in-game the most

Above is some of the basic foundation steps to start out an award system for your old or new clan.  The basis of every clan is the members first and foremost, if you show gratitude to the members who try their hardest it will spill down to the rest of the members who will also try their best.