I started with wowjutsu.com, to find the guilds on my server that were around the same progression level as me.  It’s not perfect, but it will get you a good start (click Realms, then click on your server name). 

Clicking on the guild name in the search results gives you detailed information about the guild.  From here I was trying to find guilds that weren’t already overloaded with Druids, had a reasonable number of members without being too big, and looked like they were proficient in the raids I was targeting. 

With this “short list” of guilds in hand, I did two things: weeded out certain guilds based on members I had grouped with in the past or behaviour I had noticed on my server.  This wasn’t many guilds, but we all know a guild or two like this.  Second, I tried to associate guilds with people I may have pugged with in the past that were especially helpful.  

Next, I did some searching for guild websites.  I don’t care if my guild has a website or not frankly, but guild websites are a great way to find out what a guild philosophy is all about and get a feel for their members.  Check out the raiding rules, check out their application, check out requirements to see if  you are a fit.  Most of all, check out their forums if you can.  A guild’s forum are a great way to get a sense for the guild’s behaviour and attitudes.  Sure the forums tend to be populated with only the most active guild members - but those same people are probably the ones driving the guild’s culture anyway. 

Hopefully by this time you’ve narrowed down your list to a small number of guilds.  If you have the time, look for some of these folks while you’re playing.  If they are doing a daily, offer to help them and see what they’re like.  Ask them some questions about their guild.  This may be helpful in getting a sense for whether they are a fit and vice versa. 

Finally, it’s time to just pick and apply.  I ended up just picking one and applying to it.  You may want to pick more than one.  If you’re applying to more than one, then you may want to be up front in your application about that fact. 

So no pearls of wisdom there, but hopefully some ideas that may help if you’re looking for a new guild.  If anyone has other good ideas, please comment.  If I get enough, I’ll put together a guide.

Hopefully, I’ll be having a chat with the guild I applied to soon.  I’ll let you know how it goes.