Why did you start playing? 
Being stationed on Okinawa you had some free-time when you weren’t working. We were isolated so we drank a lot of beer, SCUBA and had 1st person shooter LAN parties. When a good friend of mine moved back to the states he discovered UO. UO made it cheaper to keep in contact than phone calls and it was more fun as well. 
After running a guild together in UO he moved to EQ. He tried for almost a year to get me to move but I was reluctant due to the inability to get the game or pay for the monthly charges from Okinawa. He sent me a copy of the game and setup paying for my account and allowed me to pay him back. 
When I came back to the states it was still a fun/easy way to keep in touch with old friends around the world. Perhaps you remember an OLD Tarew Marr guild called Aegis Terra? 

Why do you continue to play? 
Personal Achievement (Quests/Gear) 
Collaborative Achievements (Raiding/Grouping) 
Fantasy/Roleplaying 
Friendship 
Leadership 
Other 

Friendship mostly. My old military friends quit long ago but I’ve made new online friends since. My wife plays and we enjoy our time on-line together. 
Quests and Gear never interest me personally. I do as much as possible so as not to fall behind. 
I love the Collaborative Achievements part of the game. When your teammates are on their game you can accomplish things you didn’t think possible. Unfortunately it’s the most disappointing part of the game as well when you have people who don’t care to learn how to play and then wreck the experience for all around them by not doing their part or doing their part poorly. 
The above statement is true about leading a guild as well. I find it most rewarding and most frustrating. 

Friend Community 
Do you have people you met in real life that play with you? 

The last folks we met IRL have swapped servers or games. There are folks we consider friends online though whom we consider friends IRL and know we will eventually meet them…when they come to Florida. (We are done with snow) 

Do you have a consistent group of people you play with that you met in game? 

Yes. When you find people whom you consider friends, regardless of having actually met them, it is a lot like RL: you have similar goals and tastes and abilities. This doesn’t mean we won’t/don’t group with others it is a matter of enjoy-ability level. 

Would you trust someone you met in game as much as someone you met in real life? 

Yes 

Guild Community 
Why join a guild? 

I love a challenge! I Love the success only raiding in a guild can bring. I also love to see folks interested in progressing and teamwork have a place to grow and have fun. 

What do you look for in a guild? 

A mixture of fun and skill and maturity. People who work great as a team. People who know the dynamics of team play (the good and the bad) and don’t let small things eat away at team cohesiveness. I like a guild with a “guild-first” focus. 

Do you prefer hardcore (second job), family (relaxed and noncommittal) or mixed guilds? 

I have been in all 3 types. I prefer a mixed type but I believe they can be Hardcore as well. 

Other comments: 

When a guild is made up of Mature/Skilled individuals there is hardly a more enjoyable part of EQ for me. Being able to log in and, even if you can’t find a group right away, know that people will look out for a position or just information for you if you are willing to do your part in return by sharing resources and making sacrifices in return. 
Having my loyalty and/or generosity trampled on has been the only reason I have ever quit a guild. Besides them folding of course. 

Class Community 
Are you active in class community forums? 

Somewhat 

Server Community 
What do you think of your server's community as a whole? 

It’s too small. Mostly it is friendly folks. Very few real problem children remain. 

Other comments: 

There were guilds in the past who didn’t mind causing problems for other players. With the introduction of instances and the expansion of the game world AND the shrinking player community the problems between players has, as far as I can see, all but disappeared. 

EverQuest Community 
What do you think of the EverQuest community as a whole? 

It is not unlike any other dynamic environment. You have folks from all walks of life. In the end most folks gravitate to like groups of people. 

Voice Chat 
Did you use voice chat before the integrated voice chat feature? 

Yes. Teamspeak (SUCKED) then Ventrilo. 

Assuming it worked perfectly, do/would you use integrated voice chat? 

Only with guildies or people I know. I have heard people on Halo while my son plays and WOW I make him silence those folks. 

Does voice chat change the feel or play of the game? 

I don’t have to get a translator to talk to Maha! 
Sure it does. It makes the groups more efficient. It also allows you to get to know folks better by allowing them to speak openly and not just typing the important stuff.