Organizations, groups and guilds, your thoughts?

[tamela_j]

I’m asking this not only because I’m too lazy/broke to go and procure a Writer’s Market or other type book, but also because I’d rather have real people who I can interact with and question further their opinions than just a bunch of random lists of way too many places with no real sense of pros vs. cons of each.

So, a quandary for all you writer/novelist types: What organizations, groups, guilds and the like are you a member of? Why? What do you look for in this sorts of shenanigans? What are some pros/cons and what should be avoided?

I have no opinions yet, so all suggestions, opinions and information will be much appreciated.

Thanks.