One should never shy completely away from this process, however, because the benefits of good feedback should still outweigh the sting of negative reception. Online poetry workshops are excellent places to post work that you want critiqued. Your family members and trusted friends should also be able to provide some valuable insight into the relative strengths and weaknesses of your piece. Sometimes writers will store freshly-written poems away for a while, in order to gain a more objective perspective when they finally do start editing. If you want to write better poetry yourself, read everything you can by established poets.
Poetry is truly a craft that has been handed down from generation to generation.
If you want to learn how to improve your own craft, study at the feet of the masters. Not only should you be familiar with those who have gone before, but you should also see what is being published currently. You should be able to find at least one published poet who uses your particular style. For exercise, try some of the formal poetry styles. Japanese forms such as haiku and tanka have also become very popular in recent years, although you should become familiar with the established rules before trying these deceptively simple forms.