I'm thinking about the possibility of a merger with another guild as well and for all the same reasons listed above. Although I'm currently working on building up my monk to be Tombs-ready (and doing lots of PvE this last week because of it), I'm primarily focused on PvP and have had the privelege of winning HoH a couple of times and gaining some rank with the use of my Elementalist.
I actually never thought too much (or too highly) about a guild merger... the group of around eight people who are currently in this guild are fairly close friends who have been gaming in GW since the beginning of the beta events. The main problem with our current situation is that we have two or three members who are active while the other people have gone for a week or more without logging on. Those active members (of which one of those is myself) are extremely active. I'm in-game at least two hours a day working on different RP characters to unlock skills and other things, and another two or three hours doing Arena or Tombs. This game is a guild-based game, and you can't enjoy some of the major parts of the game without an active guild.
Here are some things that CoE has and would like to keep if a guild merger is taken:
Website/Domain/Forum: We would like to keep the domain and forum (
http://forum.councilofexile.com) because this has been an out-of-pocket cost that has been paid up front for a year. On top of that, it has been a fairly good amount of work that we have put in, and we are constantly adding different mods and changing the style to make the forum better for our guild members. I hope the clan that will consider merging with us will have some people who are interested in forum/website administration and design, but this isn't necessary... I've done everything so far based on feedback from our current members and I can continue that in whatever spare time I have.
Voice Communication: Also, we have a TeamSpeak server that is available through the end of the year (ts.councilofexile.com:9802). It is password-protected of course with our current members already registered, so it would be convenient for us (and possibly the merged clan) to keep this server. This isn't necessary though... we can make the needed change to use any voice communication server (including Vent) if requested. Voice communication while in-game at all times is a must if we are going to merge.
High Level of PvP Activity: The whole reason for this merger offer is to get active members into a combined guild who are all focused on grouping for PvP in Tombs and guild battles. Our current members have been doing PvP in Tombs and guild battles throughout the beta events and after release and are frustrated with how hard it is to be successful with PUGs. It can happen, but it would be so much easier with the guild. If a guild is considering this, then take the time to verify whether or not you have the active members that would be required for this.
Combined Leadership: Our current leadership is made up of all our current members. I try to provide as much organization as possible, but the rules are made by our members. On that note, our members are older with our youngest member around 20 (oldest being about as old as dirt

). We aren't looking for a guild exactly like this and have no problem bringing in younger members, but that's just some information about us that will help you in your decision. We like to have fun in-game and we know each other well. All that being said, we don't have any problems sharing the leadership with every member who comes into the group from the new guild. You will have just as much say in how things go as the rest of us, but maturity and the good of the group needs to come first when making decisions.
This whole post about merging is just what I've discussed with our current members, and it's the beginning of a process that will involve lots of in-game grouping and talking on TS before it actually happens. I'm sure everyone knows that merging can have problems, and I'd like to eliminate as much of that as possible beforehand. An interested guild can either find me in-game or send me a PM and we'll go from there.
==================================================
That's the end of my 'merging' post. I haven't heard from the moderators on this type of postings... it borders on the line of recruitment. I know you guys won't hesitate to let us know if merging posts are considered against forum policies. Merges can really help the PvP situation I think... if the merge is well-planned and with like-minded guilds.