Pokémon Clans Forum Rules and Announcements

The following guide has been designed to assist new members in creating their ideal clans. Although it's not a part of forum rules, these guidelines and suggestions are extremely helpful - and a good place to start if you're unsure what to do in this forum.

How to Create and Maintain a Successful Clan:

Preparation

Before posting your thread, it's very important to have a solid idea of what you want your clan to be. Many successful clans have a theme or concept upon which the clan is based upon, for example you could make a battling clan, a clan based upon a certain type of Pokemon, etc. If you have a unique theme, there's a better chance that members will be interested - the more creative the better!


First post

The next step is designing your first post. The first post is the first thing members will see when they look at your thread, so it needs to be organized, interesting, creative, eye-drawing, etc. However, you don't want to have a cluttered post with too much information. Some good things to include are;

- A brief outline stating what your clan is about, what you hope to achieve and most importantly the type of discussion that will go on in the clan.
- An updated, current list of all members of the clan. (Remember, this is a forum rule and therefore compulsory!)
- A form, or instruction on how new members can join. Often this is a form with 'name; fc; shoddy; position in clan;' depending on the type of clan.
- A rules section, which is often a shortened version of the forum rules. Or you can opt for a message with a link to the forum rules.


Member base

As the clan grows you can add more sections to the first post, such as clan graphics, battle history, allies, previous threads and much more. But once you've designed a good first post, you need to attract some members. It's a forum rule that you must have five members before posting a clan, there are some easy ways to get them. A great way is to talk to your friends about it - show them your created first post and introduce them to the concept. If you're new to the forum, you can still do this, send some PMs to some members you've seen around the Pokemon forums. Or alternatively, participate in general discussions - they're a great way to make friends.


Getting started

So you've came up with an awesome concept, made a neat, interesting first post, gathered five members - you're ready to post your clan!

The key to a successful clan is activity - without members posting your clan will die out to the bottom of the forum. The best way to do this is to encourage discussion. Remember, the forum rules state that the discussion must be about Pokemon. As the creator of the clan, you should be heavily involved in these discussions. You also need to keep the member's coming to the thread, so organizing battles, trades and events are a must for a clan. However, you don't want to do too much too soon, start small and build up your members before participating in giant clan wars or such. A great way to advertise your clan is to post your clan in the Clan Profiles Thread!


'What can I do next?'

As the leader/founder of your clan, you need to be fully committed. You are the role model of the clan, and as a leader it's your job to maintain that the rules are being followed. You also must encourage and participate in discussion and make sure there's no conflict within the clan. This does not mean you can become a dictator, your members should feel as if everyone is an equal part of the clan. Remember, being a leader is a privilege, and if you abuse it you won't be allow to run the clan any more. Because it is such a large responsibility, many leaders choose to give a co-leader position to an other member of the clan to help run the thread.

Another step you can make to further your clan activity and image is to make an 'alliance' with another clan. While they don't do much, members of your allied clan can participate in your clan's events and vice versa. It's a great way to connect with the other members of the forum that aren't in your clan - but remember, it's a forum rule that you can only have two clan allies.


Events & Tournaments

Now that you've established a successful and active clan, you can step out and participate or create clan events. These are mostly battling tournaments, but can be almost anything - for example a graphics battle. Clan 'wars' are particularly enjoyable - clan on clan battling tournaments that are usually organized with the leaders. If you're new to this, it's a great idea to go to your allied clan and get them to start one. Often, there will be big forum wide tournaments where every clan participates.

Once you've organized a tournament, head on over to the Pokémon Battle Forum or Pokémon Battle Tournaments Forum, create a thread, and start battling!