Last week I came back to game after a 9 month break and joined an org called AO Recovery. This org's goal is to encourage players (new and old) to form teams and level/quest/etc together rather than use the kiting/ost method. The org itself doesn't condemn anyone's way of playing but is providing a safe haven for those that agree with the 'old school' method of leveling.
That being said, I was in a leveling team today in elysium and things were going great. We were mainly killing mobs around the Sunken House/P7 area. Everything was fine when all of a sudden an OST enforcer decided to intentionally train us with hecks. Giving anyone the benefit of the doubt.. let's say the first time was an accident. If so, the 2nd time he came through, just moments later, certainly was not. And those in the team that were not killed by his attempt were then trained by the NT that was with him. The end result was that the group got discouraged and ended up breaking up. A couple of us put in harassment petitions, but obviously those aren't responded to instantly.
After the 2nd training we could've just tried to find a diff spot. Unfortunately there was someone pulling hecks for an OST team in the other directions and the whole experience really discouraged the people in the group.
I'm not listing org names or anything like that because the point of this post isn't to name and shame anyone. I'm posting this as a reminder to everyone that there is more than 1 way to play the game and its possible for us to all play our own way without destroying the play experience of others (especially in this case).
Secondly, and more important, if we as players want the population of the game to grow, we need to be more welcoming to new players and not do things like train them and discourage their progress. Maybe you want to OST your alts, that's fine.. but don't begrudge someone new the opportunity to experience a traditional team via mean-spirited behavior.
Just my 2 cents, for what its worth.