Be Independent, AKA Stand On Your Own Feet, or Don't Lean Too Hard On Guildmates:
learn and employ strategies for earning enough cash for ALL of your own needs
learn and employ strategies for building a quality friends list
use external websites like thottbot.com to answer 99% of your drop, mob and quest questions
use the 'net to research your class, paying specific attention to the difference between solo play and dungeon instance party play
offer to lead dungeon groups even if not completely familiar
respect others when they lead dungeon groups
join pick-up groups as required to accomplish things when guildies aren't available
learn how to barter favors (ie: dungeon runs, professions materials) with those who have agreed to be on your friends list
Don't be a jerk:
keep your language clean, keep the bragging at a minimum and don't verbally abuse guildmates
sarcastic humor doesn't carry well online. Use it EXTREMELY sparingly if at all.
the guild isn't here to bolster your advancement. Give before expecting to receive help.
be a good party member even when with complete strangers, guildmates or not.
offer unsolicited advice very sparingly if at all.
if you add yourself to a scheduled event, show up, or let the party leader know in advance if you had to back out.
Don't degrade the guild:
EARN YOUR OWN CASH
don't ask for high levels to run you through things simply because it's easier for them and quicker for you. See the bartering system for an acceptable route to run-through trading.
don't hand off potential guild recruits to an officer if you already know the player won't fit in with us
don't gripe and whine on the general guild line
if you don't feel like you fit in with us, please feel free to find or create a new guild. We won't hate you for it, we promise.
Don't encourage bad behavior:
be very careful with offering any type of hand-out - instead, point folks towards tips designed to help players make their own way
don't lead run-through's of instances for a lowbie guildmate who is unable to return any type of favor at this time
talk to an officer if you don't think a guildie fits in with us, instead of remaining quiet about the problem
DO help bolster the quality of the guild through feedback
accept feedback when you've lead a dungeon run and consider the information given
offer useful, constructive feedback if your dungeon run leader asks for it
contribute information to the Officer's team regarding new recruits so quality ones stay and those who don't fit in are removed
Real Life Friend/Family Exceptions
If you know someone IRL or on-game for a long time and wish to help them out, these above rules really don't apply.
If you see a guildie getting a lot of help from a senior guildie, realize they probably have a Real Life connections. Don't feel slighted that it's not you receiving that help - instead, try to get your RL friends and family hooked on WoW! ;)
If your RL friend or family member doesn't fit in, we'll still remove them. Keep them in line if you wish, but it doesn't reflect upon you if they don't and we need to remove them.