One of the most important aspects of writing is getting enough varied viewpoints on your writing.  It is nice to have your family and friends read your work, but there is always some doubt as to whether such people can be completely objective when they know you so well.

The internet is a wonderful tool to solve this problem, and my personal favorite recently has been Critique Circle.  It is a simple interface that requires users to create an account and only allows them to get their work critiqued as they offer critques to others.  (You get a certain number of credits each time you critique a story and then each story you want critiqued costs a certain number of credits.) 

Writers can put up short stories, children's stories, chapters from novels, or just about anything else you would like to have critiqued.  Some readers can be brutally honest, though most try to be constructive.  I have gained invaluable insight into my short stories, which have helped me improve them.

 Click here to check out the site. http://www.critiquecircle.com/

The site is completely free to use and has some upgraded features for a small fee.  I have gotten all of my use out of the site without having to pay anything.