As Alison ponders the usefulness of the RWA for career-focused authors, I have just signed up for two special interest chapters. This will be my first foray into joining a chapter. I’m hoping the experiences are good ones. I’ve been a PRO member of the RWA for almost a year and will need to renew shortly since I have two entries in the Golden Heart. Then of course I’ll renew in 2006 because my book will out (hopefully more than one!) and then again in 2007 so I can enter in the RITAs. (Wow, it’s a trip to think that I’ll still be doing things with this anthology two years from now! 
) I’m hoping joining these chapters will increase the worth of my membership in the RWA and by that I mean I hope I’ll get more out of it. So far I’ve gotten contest wins and the RWR (which has given me a lot of useful information), but that’s it. I’m hoping that by becoming more active, I’ll reap some more benefits.
In the meantime, I’m avidly paying attention to the multitude of complaints I’ve been hearing about the RWA and I’m glad I have friends willing to take the time to expain their POV.
Yes, Cece is right about the multiple online chapters. I didn’t join Outreach. I joined RWAOnline.
And Alison, that is too cool about the MICA Award.
Alison I never thought you were badmouthing and I can definitely see where you are coming from
Even I can see the push/pull of cliques and it makes me not want to get involved. 
Kate I agree about Pro
Sasha there is more than one online chapter