ugsigor: What is expected of you when you join up?
This varies club to club and you are better off asking the owner of what their expectations are.
For most clubs it is about participation - in CC Tournaments, events and forums. Choose a club that will fit you, some CC's have low participation rates so if you want tournaments, look at how many members play in them. Some CC's just play casually together in A/S and Skype etc.
I am a member of a small club, and that is the way I, and all the members want it - so we know most of the members and we do not just become a number. The bigger clubs however you can meet more players and opens more options up if you are looking for a game.
There are some really great clubs out there, and some that really do very little, so ask the owners about participation, expectations etc, and if things do not pan out there is nothing stopping you from moving on,
The benefits if you do find a great club, the members become like family - and you are loyal to them, and vice versa.