Freedom!
Okay, sorry about that. It's been two weeks since I stepped down as the Primeval's faction owner, and it feels nice to have that pressure off my back. But I'd like to offer some tips for those interested in starting their own faction.

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  1. Don't work so hard on the idea, good ideas come and go all the time--what you need is activity. Show people you're active, and they'll help you flesh out the ideas. That way you're not coming up with this great faction and suddenly realizing that no one wants to be part of it.
  2. You're not too good for anyone! This is something that bothers me on a personal level; people who put a value on writers and get picky and choosy about who they let in. Exclusivity will guarantee the death of your faction and that might happen before it even takes off. Show people that they're welcome, and accept every writer as a golden ticket. This doesn't mean you need to be a pushover for troublemakers, but don't get picky about who's in your faction.
  3. Always listen to those around you. The most valuable asset of a faction is the writers, those who make up your faction. If you're not listening to what they have to say, or understanding that they have concerns and ideas of their own, then you're gonna find them moving to somewhere they feel that they're being listened to.
  4. Don't make decisions based on opinions. I'm gonna quote a dude who founded netscape. "If we're going to make decisions based on opinions then we're going to use my opinion." Essentially, group decisions need to be made on data and facts, if everyone is just tossing around their opinion then you'll have needless arguments and schisms. So be careful, I know sometimes you want to do things that you want to do, but that's not necessarily what others want to do.
The truth is, though, that there's no formula for a good faction. A faction people like is one that fits what people want at the time, and sometimes an idea that was once popular will become an old idea and that's fine. In the end it's all about having fun, and making sure it's a group activity.

Hopefully this helps,
--Sam
P.S. The Primeval was a happy accident.