Pros: A corp, especially a small corp of good players can give you great support and really accelerate your learning of the game. This has been my experience with my Corp with <20 people (active players). We have a blast, go on roams, and they've really upped my play quickly. They are associated with Goonsquad.

Cons: Being associated with Goons has been a really, really mixed bag. They can be organized, such as the war effort where they are crushing it.

But around their own home base, enemies gate camp all the time, and they're a Charlie Foxtrot. If you dare complain, you get laughed at at best, or told to go join Horde. This wasn't by some minor player either. Don't get me wrong, are some Great Goons, but it is an old, old Alliance. Think "Old Republic"... and there's a lot of rotten players in there too. I suspect you'll find that in all of (the alliances) though.

Pro: It gives you people to quickly, and easily, join a fleet with. This can be both fun, and profitable. They also give you the ships and the fits, so you aren't out-of-pocket to do this. They also have a huge amount (overwhelming really) of info on character building. Luckily, they also have chat channels where you can chat and sort out some of the information overload.

Con: You are an Instant Target. Regardless of what group you join, they have Enemies. Once you join them, you have Joined a Gang. All their enemies, are YOUR enemies, and will gank you, just for being associated. And for fun. In theory, your Alliance supports you against your enemies; in practice, unless you are in a fleet, you are a target for their roams (fleets) and you are unlikely to get any help if jumped. But if you are on a Roam, neither will they. Usually.

Take all of this with a Shaker of Salt. It is my Opinion, and Mine Alone. I've been playing about 3 months.

A treatise on Mining by the Master of the Venture "Miss AdVenture"

When I mine it's often in Nullsec; it's all about SPEED. Get close to the rock - preferably two or three - and set your miners on two different, close, asteroids. Then send your mining drones... you did bring mining drones, right? Send those to the Rock you parked right next to, as in 300-500 meters. Parking close means the drones have a very short flight to drop their load and return to mine more. Crank up your skills, so that your drills and drones all mine fast. The Rats in Nullsec Do Not give you a lot of time to work. They also come in Tyrannosaurus size, so better to bring mining drones than fighting drones if you're alone, and plan to RUN when the Rats show up. Kernite is the hot item at the moment, and we can clear 4.1 mil, per load, but you have to stay alive. If anything warps in, you warp out. Rats are slow enough that you can recall your drones. Unknowns... don't risk it; just warp to safety, and buy new ones. Drones are cheap, new ships are not.

What you are mining depends on your Region of course, and your needs. It isn't always about price. Lately, I've been producing shuttles, and have been needing a ton of tritanium to do so. That means Veldspar, or its cousins, so I moved 9 jumps from my usual haunts just to mine Veldspar.

This is High Sec. Here you can change tactics, and as a Miner you need to be Flexible.

I found the system had abundant resources, and tiny little ROUS's¹, compared to the TyRatasaurs I was used to in Nullsec. So I switched to combat drones to fend off their feeble attempts to stop me, and went to work.

I'd quite forgotten what it was like to Mine in High-Sec. Same basic theory, except in this particular asteroid field, the rocks were frikken HUGE! My normal recommendation of putting the miners on different rocks is due to the fact that in Nullsec, the rocks are small, and quickly depleted. Focusing on more than one helps minimize having to reacquire targets in an already hostile environment. In High Sec fields, my friends, you will find that the rocks are roughly the size of Dreadnoughts, and just one will fill your hold several times over, at least if you have a small ship like a Venture.

With E and Gor easily dealing with the tiny Rats, I found myself growing bored, and whilst the hold filled with ore, I began to watch videos from a local doctor, draining the most disgusting pus-filled acne imaginable. Hey, at least I wasn't looking at nude girls, give me a break.

When the hold was full, I could make the short run from the asteroid field to a handy processing plant and have it compressed. I left it there, then wash, rinse and repeat to gather more ore. This makes for a very efficient operation before you return to your Industrial site, as the compressed ore takes up little room. A sole mining ship, working around the clock could fill a small transport with ore to keep a plant running for a long time. If the space in between is hazardous (in my case, it most certainly is) then a specialized ship can move the ore efficiently, and safely to where it is needed.

Captain Rege, Master of the Miss AdVenture

1 Rodents of Unusual Size - The Princess Bride