FC Recruiting Question

[JayP11091]

Not using this question to recruit.

My fiancé and I joined a FC when we started playing the game. Everyone else in the FC has been gone for several months now and we've taken over. We've poured so much time and effort into the FC that we don't want to just leave it. Especially since we helped pay for the house, we built the airship, and furnished the house.

We've tried recruiting by posting online, and on occasion sending out shouts. What else can we do? Right now there are only three active players, and it's not a lot. You need at least a light party just to update the airship.

Any advice on how to go about recruiting new members. If it helps, or hurts us, we are an LGBT FC.

[azura84]

Well you can upgrade the airship with non-fc members too just so long as said players have crafting jobs, this is why many people create private FC's just for gil making and their own solo-fun, you can also do expeditions with just you and your wife. Being LGBT isn't going to hurt or help your recruitment efforts, at most it may make some few more people uncomfortable than it would comfortable; limiting your applications slightly but not much.

The real issue is XIV doesn't promote enough reasons for FC members to assist leaders, there is little incentive for them to want to help leaders make or use airships/subs, there is little reason for them to want to help other members when everything is so readily easy to solo and with the matchmaking service as adept as it is now there is little reason to even take other members into things that do require multiple players. Mostly though it boils down to two main things, people who play online video games are less inclined to make friends if they dont have to, and this game makes it easy to not have to. Best you can do is find people who actually do enjoy being social first and competitive second. This has been my experience at least.

[Canadane]

Find new players in the Novice Network.
I dunno how Adamantoise is, Hyperion discourages FC spam in NN. But when you spot someone new you can guide them with a tell or two and later drop the question to join your FC. You're small now so it'll feel like a home to them.

[Purrsnikitty]

My fc leader and I would scout starter cities for new players and help them out. When we found ones that we liked we would offer them an invite to the fc, if anything to at least make use of the buffs, but we would also tell them that they are free to leave if they decide we aren't for them and that we can still be friends after. It really helps when you try to be personal about recruiting and it really helps if they aren't burdened with the obligation of staying because they received help a few times. Once you start to get enough people they will start to bring friends and your fc will grow.

[InkstainedGwyn]

My fc leader and I would scout starter cities for new players and help them out. When we found ones that we liked we would offer them an invite to the fc, if anything to at least make use of the buffs, but we would also tell them that they are free to leave if they decide we aren't for them and that we can still be friends after. It really helps when you try to be personal about recruiting and it really helps if they aren't burdened with the obligation of staying because they received help a few times. Once you start to get enough people they will start to bring friends and your fc will grow.

Absolutely this. Our former FC leader would blind-invite anyone with no FC and a leaf, and besides the fact that blind inviting bothers me (having been on the receiving end of it enough to know how annoying it is), it also meant we got a huge number of people we didn't know, many of whom stopped playing after a week or two, and quite a few that just didn't fit in with our concept of an FC. However, inviting folks we've run mount farms with, or helped out in dungeons, or friends new to the game has given us a lot of active members that we already know we get along with, and we don't have to worry about someone going into the FC chest to try to clear it out.

[MicahZerrshia]

Blind invites are the worst thing ever and imo are done by only the laziest, uncaring and most amateur of FC leaders. Not only do I refuse blind invites, I blist the invitation sender. If you blind invite you are telling me you don't care about your members because you just want numbers and your FC is likely garbage. If you don't have a moment to send me a tell and ask me to join, which can even be macro'd, you are not worth my time either.

Like others said, the best way to recruit is being active in the community, esp when you are starting out. Helping ppl out is the best way to get members. Show them you care about your guild and its members and not only will you get more members but you will retain them and the ability to retain them is the big thing. Once you get a little larger there are plenty of other things you can do but when you are just starting its all about being a good leader before anything else. Even participating in conversations on fan sites or chat rooms can get ppl. But its usually more effort than its worth unless you enjoy it and do it anyway.

You can shout but you need to be short and sweet and not spam. Even then shouting gets very few ppl so it's best not to rely on since you don't wanna be blisted by a lot of ppl for it. Online is good but you need to be short and sweet, keep on top of it and post in the right places. So they are always a crap shoot.


FYI, if you are not one who blists the fail FC spam leaders, if they keep sending you invites you can report them for harassment.

[Soraki-Muppe]

If it helps, or hurts us, we are an LGBT FC.

If your saying the FC is only for LGBT then it would hurt as your not recruiting among everyone. If your saying that LGBT is part of the FCs identity but your open for everyone, then it will not hurt you more then among narrow minded people you would not want to recruit anyway.
The biggest problem right now is that there are more people taking a break from the game then actively playing the game, we are in the pre-expansion lull and it will get worse before it gets better.
Only advice I can give you is to ride out the storm. It might take some time but if not earlier then when the expansion hit old players will return and new players will join, get those you can then.

[Super_Bee_Brian]

Recruiting is easy. What's hard is MAINTAINING a group of loyal people. Trust me, I know...