UKTerrorist

A Basic Clan Management Guide

This is the first time I have ever posted an article about management. The experience I have is limited, but I have managed online gaming clans as well as online communities for various other games so I'll try my best. Let's start with the basics.

One of the most important things is communication between the team. As with most businesses and corporations it is important that the level of communication is tight. In most cases online clans are likely to be spread across a fair distance so face-to-face communication will be rare. Methods of communication in this day and age are fairly advanced; so make full use of them.

There are numerous methods of communication available, these include the Internet (IRC, Instant Messagers, E-mail and Voice Comms), telephones and depending on the success rate of your clan you may even use mail to send sponsor contracts and player agreements which may need to be signed.

The line of communication I feel is the most important is the various voice communication programs that are used over the internet, such as TeamSpeak and Ventrilo. Note I am not just talking about in-game communication. By talking with your clan mates on a regular basis what will you improve?

• Friendship.
• Understanding of people's personalitys (Which in some cases will help you understand their style of play).
• Communication in game is tough over the Internet, speaking on a daily basis could help improve this.

Try to get your team using one of the above voice comminication programs, but note despite some leagues and cups prohibiting use of such programs they can still be used as described above.

The team will often face a lot of pressure. Often individuals will be under very high pressure in particular situations. What's important is that they are able to release some of this pressure. When someone makes a mistake you have to be very careful what you say to them. Shouting and the like will just cause more problems. It is best to go over mistakes at the end of the game rather than during the game - doing so could cause arguments and cause team-play to fail drastically. Moral is the key - moral must be high even when you are down.

It is your job as manager to make your team aware of these issues. Don't be a dictator - but do set rules. Don't shout at or punish someone when they break these rules just remind them where they went wrong. Remember that Counter-Strike is a game and members want to get as much from it as you do.

Try to encourage friendship wherever possible. Organise a meet at your local town for a day, go out, have fun. I guarantee it will help your clan succeed in the long run.

Thats the basic side of things. Now we will look at the aspects of proper organisation. What exactly does 'organisation' involve?

• Basic organisation of the team. Match schedules, practice schedules and keeping a pile of relevant information in regards to each member (Such as wonID's, phone numbers, names and addresses - anything that you may need in the future).
• When organising an entrance to different cups and leagues (online and LAN based) be careful what you pick. Don't overload the team with matches but ensure they don't go long without proper games, doing so could effect their performance.
• Organise bootcamps. Bootcamps offer the chance to get together and sort out tactics face to face, rather than yelling them down in-game voice comms.
• Seeking and arranging sponsorship deals. I cannot offer a great deal of advice on this, but I advise you check out our Approaching a Sponsor article or this page if you are an eSports amateur/professional team member. My guidelines for seeking a sponsorship would be to think about what you can offer the company - they are not going to accept any agreement where your benefit outwieghs theirs.

Finally, some things to remember:

1. Dont demand respect from the team - earn it.
2. There may be times when you have to take stick from a member - bare it.
3. You only get one chance to get a good reputation - earn it and keep it!

That concludes this article. Please do post your opinions, whether you disagree or not, and you are welcome to add your own contributions. I will try to get an interview or two with some of the top clan management members in the UK, so until then...