I'm a member. I like the system they use. In order to post something, you must first critique others. Earn 5 karma points and you can post something. They recommend that it be no longer than 3k words. It's more of a guideline. you can post two unique works with a free membership or pay for a premium membership and post as many as you like.
I used to have a premium membership, it's not that expensive. However, I don't have one now because I haven't had anything I needed to post there in a bit a I've come across person to swap crits.
I found overall the critiques to be helpful, though you have to watch out for the occasional WTF critique but I found those rare.
Your works can't be seen by anyone not a member so it's protected as far as that goes. Stay away from the forums if you can. It's a time sink.