Joe M.

A popular, diverse, well run site to consider if you are up for trying your hand at authoring as a new hobby. It's been going successfully for twenty years, and appeals to many people.
It has a friendly set of contributors, many of whom appear to want to help others, if they can. But, and it's a big but. Many who have been on the site over one or two decades appear not to have learnt the skills to help novice authors. The standard of grammar, punctuation and awareness of pacing is lacking in a lot of the contributors and reviewers. Sad to say, most works offered for reviews seem amateurish. You would expect this from the first efforts of new writers, but it also seems a common fault among the many established members.
The weekly/monthly competitions are fair and well conducted. The organizers run them voluntarily and seem to have other members' best interests at heart.
People who have been on the site many years judge the official contests. I have read accusations of judges fixing the competitions and giving the prizes to their friends. Of what I discovered in my time there, it couldn't be further from the truth. I think it more accurate to say, not all, but many of these adjudicators have written little of any note in a long time, which can lead to some strange results. They seem to have more of an interest in socializing than penning.
The standard of fellow authors' reviewing is often poor in its context. Most reviews are for short stories/poems of somewhere between 50 and 700 words. Larger pieces of work get little attention.
A great number of reviewers write short meaningless critiques as they hoover up gift points towards free membership. None of the staff seem to notice, or show an interest in stopping it.
During the time I surveyed the site, I saw people arrive, and throw themselves into what I presume was the original spirit of writing.com. Some must have spent a long time working on comprehensive reviews of others' works. But after seeing what others call a review, they eventually lose heart and decamp for fresh fields to pursue their aspirations.
In conclusion, I would say. If you are feeling your way into writing, or if you are interested in hobby writing within a sheltered environment, you couldn't find a more diverse and welcoming place from which to start.