Ashley Madison is an online dating site that was formed in 2001 for married or people or ones in relationships. The site was specifically made for people who secretly want extramarital affairs. It has gained popularity in the recent past due to the controversies surrounding its operation.
Some years ago the site suffered a cyber-attack and some of its data were leaked. Thousands of Ashley Madison's user data was leaked after the cyber-attack. This leak exposed thousands of prominent people and even politicians among other celebrities. The website has since tightened its security features to ensure fewer chances of a data leak.
Ashley Madison only deals with people who want to cheat on their partners with other users who are in other relationships. It isn’t one of those ordinary dating sites. Ashley Madison overlooks the moral side when it comes to relationships.
How Ashley Madison Works
Ashley Madison caters to a wider range of interests. Audiences interested in monogamous, open relationships and polygamous relationships are guaranteed to find matches on this site.
Ashley Madison requires all its users to have an account. The homepage has a sign-up option that will take you through several steps of registration. Since its data breach, Ashley Madison has increased user scrutiny. Creating an account involves several processes and evaluations. The process is quite lengthy and may take up to 15 minutes.
When signing up on Ashley Madison, you are required to add a photo to your profile. Note that all the steps involved in the sign-up process are mandatory, and you cannot skip any.
Ashley Madison maintains your privacy by allowing you to blur your profile photo. You can also use other options to obscure your picture like the Zorro mask option.
Other details required by Ashley Madison during the sign-up process include; physical parameters, location, personal, romantic goals, and any additional information you would like to share. The process requires plenty of your information, so be ready to give it all.
Finding Your Match
To find a potential partner, use the search function located at the top of the site. The search bar function presents results in a well-designed gallery with the user’s blurred photo, nickname and other useful details like the location.
Women users can make connections and start conversations for free. Men are required to purchase credit in order to start conversations. The chat feature on the site enables members to make connections and start conversations with their partners.
Once you find the partner that matches your interests, click on their profile which includes all the information you need. Ashley Madison offers several ways to communicate with your partners. You can directly message or launch a chat on the site.
You can also create a list of your favorite profiles for free. The site allows you to add 100 profiles at most. You can remove previously added profiles and add new ones. If you like someone's profile, you can send a 'wink' which will let them know you liked their profile. Winking does not cost anything.
Members can also send virtual gifts to any member they like, however sending virtual gifts requires one to have credit. The cost varies with the type of gift you are sending.
Ashley Madison Safety
After the security breach on its database, Ashley Madison made some significant changes on the website. There was some increased scrutiny, and the account creation process was made more detailed. Besides the Improvements, we cannot rule out the possibility of another data breach.
Since there is no moderation, the quality of the profiles of the accounts is not guaranteed. Scammers can create accounts and commit illegal activities anonymously. So you shouldn't be so sure about your privacy here, but that should not stop you from finding a match on Ashley Madison.
Prices
A free account enables you to browse the site and have a look at profiles, but you will need credits to message the users and start chats.
Ashley Madison offers credits that are bought in packages from 100 to 1000 credits. You can choose from the three packages provided; Basic, classic and Elite. The prices range from $49.90 to $229.90 depending on the package. Ashley Madison has some gender bias when it comes to purchasing credits. Women don't require credits to use the site fully.
Pros
- Well detailed profiles
- A useful search feature
- Quality services and well-designed website
Cons
- Security issues
- Unexplained fees
Bottom Line
Ashley Madison is a popular dating site that offers fair online dating services. Apart from a few hitches the site works just fine.