National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)

The National Association of Photoshop Professionals is just that, except it's an international organization of users of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. My favorite benefits include

• Member-only tutorials provide searchable training on everything Photoshop from creating watermarks to removing wrinkles to color correction to text effects. There were 1,464 tutorials at my last count.
• The help desk and forums are for asking questions about all versions of Photoshop and general graphic arts. Actually, they're really more about getting answers. It's not uncommon to see some big names (Scott Kelby, Dave Cross, Larry Becker, etc.) pop up to help out. Plus, the forums are also a good way to get a variety of opinions that you can actually trust.
• Photoshop User Magazine brings current trends and techniques to my mailbox every month. But there's also plenty on copyright information, shooting photos correctly, and even Web design. The columns by Deke McClellend, Ed Greenberg, and Bert Monroy tend to be my first reads.
• Discounts. On so many things: Apple (often lower than education pricing), B&H (free shipping!), OnOne, Mpix (up to 25% off), Hertz, Choice Hotels, iStock. The list goes on. My membership fees have already been paid for with discounts from ordering prints at Mpix.

If you decide to join, use the link above with the code FRIEND to receive The Best of Photoshop User: The Twelfth Year DVD as a bonus gift.

Sigma Tau Delta

The International English Honor Society, Sigma Tau Delta, is an invitation-only group that honors work in literatures, linguistics, and writing in the English language. I was inducted in 2000 and became president of the University of Missouri – St. Louis chapter in 2002.