Back to the original question, join SKCC or not...
I have been a ham for 40 years, but was inactive for the past 30. I was always mostly a CW op back in the day (40 states with a HW-8 and random wire in the 70's), and SKCC has been great for getting back into the hobby, and getting my Morse skills back. The SKCCsked page is great for setting up exchanges, or plain old ragchews, too. Give the rotten propagation conditions that greeted my return to ham radio, SKCC has been helpful.
Do I also use a keyer? Of course!! My old Heathkit 1410 electronic keyer from the 70's still works great. Whenever I hear a general CQ, I go to the keyer, not the old Speed-X key. Since the manual key plugs into the keyer, I can use either one, anytime.
Just my 2 cents.