An online dating service and social networking service marketed to people who are already in a relationship is now in the Philippines.
Ashley Madison, whose slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair" was recently launched to cater to the Filipino market has even adopted a Filipino tagline, "Ang buhay ay maikli. Mangaliwa."
The controversial 12-year old dating website targets people who are dissatisfied with their current relationships and curious individuals who want to play with fire the opposite sex. Because of this business model, it is expected that several groups will try to oppose Ashley Madison because it runs counter to the traditional culture of Filipinos.
After creating an account, one is asked about his or her relationship status (single or attached), his or her gender preference as well as height, weight, body type (fit, average, etc.) and eye and hair color, among others.
The website also requires a member to specify the kind of affair he or she is looking for – options include "something short term," "something long term," "cyber affair or erotic chat," "whatever excites me," "anything goes" and "undecided."
Once the signup is complete, the member can also add a photo and a short description to his or her profile (samples range from the simple "hello" to "let’s play" and "I’m into anything and everything”), or fill in other personal details such as "languages" and "turn-ons."
Like most online dating services, Ashley Madison lets its users chat and send photos, files and virtual gifts such as flowers and chocolates to jump-start the extramarital affair. The website was created with the woman in mind with its name and feminine color scheme, but it is dominated by male members.
Unlike Match.com or eHarmony, AshleyMadison's business model is based on credits rather than monthly subscriptions. For instance, in a conversation between two members, one of the members – which is almost always a straight male – must pay five credits to initiate the conversation.
Any follow up messages between the two members are free after the communication has been initiated. AshleyMadison also has a real time chat feature that is metered. Credits are utilized to pay for a certain time allotment of chat. Women can send "collect" messages to men, but men can not send them to women.
Unless they know how to opt out of the site’s feature, the Terms and Conditions say that users who have not yet paid the site any money ('Guest' accounts) may get computer generated messages from fictitious profiles that "are NOT conspicuously identified as such". These may cost money to respond to. The site says this feature is "to provide entertainment".
Also, the site’s guarantee is so restricted by conditions – users must buy the most expensive package, send "priority" (more expensive) messages to 18 unique members each month for three months, send 5 Ashley Madison gifts per month, and engage in 60 minutes of (paid) chat per month, that it is very difficult to qualify for.
Compounding the problem is that "more straight men than straight women use the service, with the disparity increasing as they advance in age," and "Men seek sex, while women seek passion."This is not revealed to prospective users. It is obvious from a page on the Ashley Madison site itself that many men feel "ripped off."
Ashley Madison, whose slogan is "Life is short. Have an affair" was recently launched to cater to the Filipino market has even adopted a Filipino tagline, "Ang buhay ay maikli. Mangaliwa."
The controversial 12-year old dating website targets people who are dissatisfied with their current relationships and curious individuals who want to play with fire the opposite sex. Because of this business model, it is expected that several groups will try to oppose Ashley Madison because it runs counter to the traditional culture of Filipinos.
After creating an account, one is asked about his or her relationship status (single or attached), his or her gender preference as well as height, weight, body type (fit, average, etc.) and eye and hair color, among others.
The website also requires a member to specify the kind of affair he or she is looking for – options include "something short term," "something long term," "cyber affair or erotic chat," "whatever excites me," "anything goes" and "undecided."
Once the signup is complete, the member can also add a photo and a short description to his or her profile (samples range from the simple "hello" to "let’s play" and "I’m into anything and everything”), or fill in other personal details such as "languages" and "turn-ons."
Like most online dating services, Ashley Madison lets its users chat and send photos, files and virtual gifts such as flowers and chocolates to jump-start the extramarital affair. The website was created with the woman in mind with its name and feminine color scheme, but it is dominated by male members.
Unlike Match.com or eHarmony, AshleyMadison's business model is based on credits rather than monthly subscriptions. For instance, in a conversation between two members, one of the members – which is almost always a straight male – must pay five credits to initiate the conversation.
Any follow up messages between the two members are free after the communication has been initiated. AshleyMadison also has a real time chat feature that is metered. Credits are utilized to pay for a certain time allotment of chat. Women can send "collect" messages to men, but men can not send them to women.
Unless they know how to opt out of the site’s feature, the Terms and Conditions say that users who have not yet paid the site any money ('Guest' accounts) may get computer generated messages from fictitious profiles that "are NOT conspicuously identified as such". These may cost money to respond to. The site says this feature is "to provide entertainment".
Also, the site’s guarantee is so restricted by conditions – users must buy the most expensive package, send "priority" (more expensive) messages to 18 unique members each month for three months, send 5 Ashley Madison gifts per month, and engage in 60 minutes of (paid) chat per month, that it is very difficult to qualify for.
Compounding the problem is that "more straight men than straight women use the service, with the disparity increasing as they advance in age," and "Men seek sex, while women seek passion."This is not revealed to prospective users. It is obvious from a page on the Ashley Madison site itself that many men feel "ripped off."
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