The personal touch with recruits is a good thing...be it over xbl or PM...if you can spare time for people...it goes a helluva long way and you're more likely to retain the good people.
If people don't reciprocate then so be it...but I can give a few examples of awesome recruits that have stuck with us and mainly because we made the effort to bring them under our wing and make them feel welcome and confident enough to get involved without feeling intimidated.
We're all good people who want to play with like minded people...helping new recruits to see that and not be intimidated or think we're something we're not is not that difficult. It's just time and that personal touch.
sent from the edge of your perception