Well. . it is a game. In every other game people join guilds etc. without meeting in game by chance first. I actually had planned to play that way though. . start out solo. . see who is around and join up with whoever I liked most. That is what I have done in most games unless I transfered with a guild.
For guilds that transfered over there is no reason to think that they could not have met "before" the day that is represented by "launch". Now I would have loved it if there was no beta and everyone started the game somewhere randomly and there was no IM programs or e-mail or phones so that friends could not co-ordinate. . then they would have to meet the folks around them and decide how to get along even if they didn't like them ala Survivor. . . we could ask everyone to do that on the honour system and see what happens. Even when UO launched I was already in a guild from beta. . although they are so gross now
Now back to your intention. . there are a lot of threads on this already. You apologize for baiting yet continue and apologize for creating "yet another" thread like this.
Oh wait your thread was about skills and stats. Not cool but I bit.