It is possible to provide talented differentiators that don't necessarily drive

In my opinion, it is possible to provide talented differentiators that don't necessarily drive Fallen Earth Chips away players who aren't part of a guild's major activities.

For example, in a progression-oriented raiding guild, you might choose a talent that provides 5% increased reputation gains for PvE factions (i.e., Sons of Hodir) over one that provides the same gains for PvP factions (let's assume Cataclysm has PvP factions that actually matter).

While it's true that a player in your guild who PvPs rather than raids may not benefit as much, she still does benefit.

It's hard to imagine that the cumulative difference of talent choices would affect her game experience to the point that she would leave a guild she was happy with and players she liked for the sake of minor convenience. Perhaps I'm giving too little credit to a player's desire to min/max her time, but I just don't buy it.

You need to speak to guild members or read the guild's policies on its website in order to understand what the guild is all about. With talents, Blizzard had a means for allowing officers to differentiate their guilds using the game's own interface.