In a recent visit to CNN.com I bumbled upon an article about Internet dating sites that cater to (let’s not call them cheaters) attached individuals looking for some extra curricular activity. The politically correct term for this is Internet Married Dating.  Strangely I found this rather intriguing. The featured Internet Dating site was a site called AshleyMadison.com. After reading the entire article I was so disgusted that I did what I am sure many other outraged readers did - I immediately went to AshleyMadison.com and signed up.

The folks at AshleyMadison.com present themselves as an online dating agency. As I have discussed in an earlier IdleRomance post, an agency (a real agency) provides a much broader range of services than the standard, run-of-the-mill, Internet dating site. After looking things over I can safely tell you that AshleyMadison.com is not an agency. They are an online dating site plain and simple with a bit of twist on the pricing. I say this because unlike other Internet dating sites like Match.com and eHarmony.com, AshleyMadison.com does not go in for the subscription price model. Instead they have you purchase credits which can then be used to contact other members via site email or chat. I know that doesn’t sound that different but it is in two ways. The first thing is that you only pay so many credits for the first email you send to another member. Once communication is established there are no more charges for email to that member. The second difference comes in how they handle chat pricing. Chat is priced by the half hour session and there is no break for chatting with someone you have chatted with before.

Another way that AshleyMadison.com is different from other  Internet Dating sites is in the amount of information you are asked to put in your online dating profile. They really don’t seem to expect you to write a whole lot. They cut right to the chase with nine basic details: a screen nickname, a brief caption which appears on screen under your screen nickname, a statement of your limits (more on this later), weight, height, body type, ethnic background, smoking habits, and (the all important) relationship status. Most of these are self explanatory but two are kind of interesting. In terms of your limits you are basically stating to others browsing your dating profile what it is that you are looking for. You can pick between long or short term involvement or you can go all in with an “anything goes” stance. You can be undecided or limit your “relationships” to “Cyber Affairs and Erotic Chat”. The other thing that struck me was the choices offered in the relationship status category. For males your choices are Single Male seeking Females, Attached Male seeking Females, and Male seeking Males. I guess in the Male seeking Males category it really isn’t important if you are Single or Attached.

I am sure I’ll be posting more about this site in the near future.
jd

I guess I have been at this Internet dating thing for at least six months now. Though it hasn’t rendered a single actual date (or phone call, for that matter) I have noticed that I use a specific process when I am checking out someone’s Internet dating profile. Basically, when I’m perusing any dating site’s “catalog” or checking out the dating profile of someone who has viewed my profile I go in the following order:

1. Photograph(s) on the Dating Profile
   

   This is, more often than not, the quickest path to the next dating profile. Loyal readers have had to listen to me complain about the quality level (usually low) of many of the profile photos found across the Internet. Here are some attributes that merit an automatic rejection:
   

   • No photo.
   • Photo of the subject next to another male with his arm around
     her.
   • Photo of the subject standing in front a banner reading,
     “Happy New Year 1992″.
   • Photo of the subject holding an infant.
   • Photo of the subject wearing hunting attire and holding a
     scoped deer rifle.
   • Photo of the subject on or near a horse.

2. Basic Statistics on the Dating Profile
   

   Having survived the photo analysis I next move to the vital
   statistics. Conflicts in this area can sometimes be overridden by a
   great photo. Rejection criteria include:
   

   • Ladies outside the age range of 49 to 58. (It really bums me
     out when a 63 year old “winks” at me.)
   • Smokers.
   • Dopers. (Yes, I came through the Sixties but the drug thing
     didn’t happen).
   • Passionate non-drinkers.
   • Ladies taller than 5′ 10″. (I am 5′ 8″ and have been
     astounded by the number of 5′ 9″ers that consider me too
     short.)
   • Ladies describing their body type as something not equivalent
     to “slender”. (I feel that I should out-weigh my partner.
     Sometimes it is the only advantage I have.)

3. Interests Admitted To on the Dating Profile
   

   Of course, having interests in common is an aid to creating a
   lasting relationship. I don’t have a problem if the lady has
   interests outside my sphere of preference as long as it isn’t
   downright nutty. The following examples are eject buttons for me:
   

   • Nudists. (This one surprised me, too. At first it sounded
     good until I realized that I was expected to follow
     “suit”.)
   • Motorcycles. (Don’t get me started.)
   • Winter sports. (As my good friend James W. says, “Anyone that
     straps two boards to their feet and then jumps off a cliff
     deserves whatever they get.”)
   • Water sports. (I’m afraid of the water.)
   • Any sport with the word “Extreme” in front of it.
   • Barber Shop Quartets.
   • Serious devotion to anything resembling an organized
     religion.

If I make it this far in the in initial evaluation then there is a good
chance that I will begin the process of initiating “communication”.

jd

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