Raiding Guidelines

A few of my own thoughts on raiding and how I hope to approach it:

1. If it's your first time on a boss, you didn't do anything wrong. Whether the boss lives and we die, or visa versa, you did a great job. The mere fact that you were there, willing to learn a new encounter, means you're an asset to the guild. Assets don't screw up. :)
2. If it's your fifth time on a boss... yeah, maybe you did something wrong. OK, so figure out what it was. Did you pull too much aggro? Did you miss a heal? Did the front doorbell ring? Figure out what it was and fix it (SuperGlue works great on doorbells). If you feel like it, own up to it in raid chat or Vent. You'll be surpised how understanding some people can be and you just might find yourself lol'ing at the "let me tell you about the time..." stories.
3. Eat. Food is a great way to get that extra "oomph." Find a recipe for which you can easily farm mats and try to come to a raid with 5-10 pieces of it. 300-400 extra stam plus a boost to AP/Crit/MP5 can do wonders. Just ask some of the more experienced raiders about the "1% wipe." (Recipes can be gained from running the daily Dalaran cooking quest.)
4. Please keep Vent clear during new boss encounters. The Raid Leader or others with experience may need to make a last-minute adjustment. Keeping Vent clear makes it that much easier. Joking is strongly discouraged unless the encounter is on farm status (determined by the raid leader). Additionally, never use "/rw" during a boss encounter unless it's absolutely critical. Only two lines show up at once. If you "/rw lol" you may have just pushed the "/rw DPS off" message off the screen.
5. Speaking of "DPS off," if the raid leader says "DPS off," do it. Sometimes the tank may need to build more aggro. Other times it may simply be a way of "resetting" things (remember the core hounds in MC?). No matter what, if the raid leader says to turn the DPS off, untarget the current focus and just sit there until told to resume DPS.
6. If the raid wipes, run back along with everyone else. Unless a rezzer made it through the encounter, release and run back (maybe even repair along the way). It's not fair if you go get a drink while the rezzer has to run all the way back to raise your thirst-quenched butt. On the other hand, don't release too early. If the boss goes down and you're outside the raid, you'll miss all the loot (Blizzard mechanics FTL).
7. Follow the DPS order. This should be spelled out in each raid, but you can usually assume skull, cross, . The third mark should be CC'ed when possible and safe. If further marks are required, they will be explained.
8. Do not get in front of the tank before a pull. The tank knows the safe aggo range. Get in front of him at your own (and the raid's) peril. And for Pete's sake, don't follow the rogue...

And last, but certainly not least, enjoy yourself. Keep it light. No matter how it may feel, it IS just a game in the end. Losing sight of this simple fact is a good way to be replaced...