Of course, and the point I was making is just that I didn't really enjoy the experience or find it useful enough to make it worth it. Perhaps it's something I'd try again at some point, if I felt the need, but I really feel no urge to subject myself to it again right now. I do think that they have their place, and are probably really useful to many people.

What I'd personally rather have is a group of people I trust who are also good writers and able to give me good crit, for a whole host of reasons, primarily being that I do far better receiving and internalizing crit from people I know and whose opinion I trust, rather than a whole lot of strangers.

Obviously no one can stop strangers from giving their opinion, and sometimes I will read feedback and agree with it and make changes, but it's a lot easier to dismiss said opinions, and a lot harder to have an open dialogue with a stranger about how one can improve.