I just went to a meeting at the last place I lived. It was kind of a test. If I felt welcome (I did), then I would pay my dues for a year and see how it went. The people in that guild (in a rather exclusive area of NC) made me feel like any question I asked was important, even though I obviously didn't fit into their "social set". They could not have been nicer or more informative! I have not joined a new guild yet because it's so far away, and I have all of you!