Forgive me if there's already a thread about this, but I was wondering how to go about writing an invite request to join a crew? There was a link to a "bad example" on one of the tutorial threads, but it doesn't appear to be working anymore.

What's the typical format for these sorts of things? Are they generally written in-character - like a letter from your character asking to join, or maybe a scene of your character approaching someone in the family?

Thanks in advance!

You can be in character or not be, it is completely up to how comfortable you are with doing so.

Every leader loves a well written mail that looks like it took the person more than a second to write. I'll give an example of what I would love to see:

Clarity had been wondering around the streets for a while now. There were so many crews that were looking for members, but she didn't know which would be best for her. Doing some research she then began to decide upon which leader seemed more right for her by looking over their profile's and seeing how active they were in the streets, where she currently was standing.

When finally deciding she walked up to the leader's HQ and knocked on the door. Which is what let her to you today. Smiling at you she looked hopefully into your eyes.

"Pardon me, sir/ma'am. I was wondering if you were looking for a hard working member to take in. You seemed like someone I could work for and I would be honored if you would accept me into your family."

That is short, but sweet. Yes, I chose to role play it out, but that is my style. You could also choose to go with this approach:

Greetings Sir/Ma'am,

I am Clarity, a young mobster that has came to these shores looking for work. I have come to you today interested in joining your ranks and showing you that I will be a great asset to the family. If you could take this time to consider my offer I would be very thankful!

Unless you're on IRC PMing the leader, I believe that you are always somewhat in character when mailing a leader, hand, or sponsor. That is just my two cents!