NaNoWriMo while worthy enough in it's aims, isn't really for me. I'm getting enough written at steady intervals during the year and besides, I don't really agree with its basic principle of churing stuff out at such a high rate (even if I had the time which I currently don't) - it doesn't really match my ways of planning and working.
When I was writing too slowly to make it over the line, I got a ton of friendly things. People were encouraging and nice, and really constructive in some of the ways that they wanted to help out.
Then somehow, I managed to up my pace, and I participated a couple times where it only took me a couple weeks to pass the limit, and absolutely everyone hated me. People I'd actually met in person the year before at some meetups, told me I should piss off and die.
So... I wouldn't say that the group near me in the real world is great for anybody who actually plans to meet the goals...