Everything I Need to Know I Learned in PuGs

This list was inspired by my daily run this morning, when I was ported smack dab into the middle of the Garfrost fight in Pit of Saron.  One moment I'd landed on a mountainside away from any mobs in Icecrown, and the next I'm seeing the "Saronite Rock on You -- Move!" on screen.

That was not an inspiring feeling that went through my system, let me tell you...

• Don't be a Jerk.  You'd think this goes without saying -Golden Rule and all that- but I never cease to be amazed at the number of pure idiots out there who think they can get away with bad behavior.  The anonymity that they feel they get in a cross-battlegroup PuG works both ways, pal, and the Kick option is a powerful one.
• Expect the Unexpected.  Just when you've got everything down to a science, Karma has a way of throwing you a curveball.  Like a disconnect in the middle of a boss fight.  Or the healer going down when you least expect it.  In other words, don't assume things will always go the way you think they will; plan for a rainy day.
• Don't forget Proper Nourishment.  Sure, you can slog through for a while without stopping to eat or drink if you're overpowered for a 5-man run, but that won't work if you're level appropriate for the instance.  Eventually, it catches up to you and you'll fail the team at a critical point.
• Remember to Share.  If you can bring something to the fight that will help a run -a Fish Feast, a Felstone, etc.- sharing that skill will help the entire group.
• If You Don't Know, Ask.  It goes without saying that a good sized portion of the wipes I've been part of are due to someone not knowing what to do.  If the person involved -and yes, I include myself in this- had only asked beforehand, we wouldn't have gone through the wipe and run back.  Bluffing your way through an instance only works when you are so overpowered you can solo it, and even then you still can mess up.
• If You Want Friends, be a Friend.  I know that in the age of the LFD tool you can get away with not having to pester Guildies or people from your Friends list to join a run --and you just know the raid version of the LFD tool is coming-- but WoW is a social game.  Yes, you can play it solo, and yes, I do all my questing solo, but you can't really hide from everybody else in the game.  I know that people randomly asking you to duel or join a guild is annoying, but if someone asks for help, why not help out?  That way, when you need help others can assist you as well.  That includes PuG runs, when someone asks if they can work on an achievement or for the group to not skip any bosses.

Feel free to add to the list!

(Oh, and that Pit of Saron run?  Apparently the Pally DPS dropped group right at the beginning of the Garfrost fight, but they got me quickly enough that we survived the fight.  We had one wipe on the trash right before the tunnel, but after the runback we refocused and made it through.)