1. Easy enough to do. For some reason a lot are too lazy even for this.
2. Not as easy as #1, though enough opportunities present themselves. Though more often than not the new player doesn't take advantage of this, so you shrug and leave him be.
3. Haha...yeah...sure. Maybe like 5 people in the entire game who actually want to do that with pure intentions. (Hint: I'm not one of them. If anyone actually listens to me, it will be in order to further my own goals, whatever they might be.)
#2 isn't so hard. Even if you just pull some random "reconnaissance" mission out of your butt and send a new player out into the wilds with a bunch of scouts. A sense of purpose, a mission, these things help get new players connected. I personally plan to give a newbie-initiation mission soon of "delivering funds." I will get the new player to join a guild, send 100 gold, then deploy/him her to some mid-distance location with orders to deposit the funds at a guildhouse. This gets the character in a guild, teaches the player about guildhouses, ensures my guild is properly funded, teaches about travel, and gets involvement and the sense of a mission fulfilled.
#3... I didn't say with pure intentions. I fully expect that my generosity with new players will be repaid. It has in the past: my character in Terran is quite politically powerful, partly because he actively recruits new nobles to his following. Generosity with political ramifications may be even better for retention.
