Life is short. Have a what?

The first time I visited the Ashley Madison website, I couldn't believe that was their tagline - Life is short. Have an affair.

I had heard about the service before and thus wasn't shocked by it's existence, but I was amazed that they would actively flaunt and sell their service as something that married people need. I have no problem with non-monogamous relationships, but I just don't fancy the dishonesty that having an affair implies.

For research purposes (to more thoroughly understand what Ashley Madison is like) my husband and I decided we would join the website and were soon get winked at, given virtual gifts, provided with keys to private photo showcases and emailed constantly (mostly by people we would never want to hook up with even if it was all out in the open).

The crazy thing about the service is that people pay a significant amount of money looking for someone with whom to have an affair - they charge credits to do almost anything. In order to possibly find someone, or even to get a basic response you have to send out lots of requests, each of which costs money. The service appears to give women the upper-hand, with men needing to sow more email seeds to get anywhere.

I have had fun browsing through the profiles, looking at some naughty private showcases and watching fleeting fantasies about a few of the guys drift through my head. I guess it's just the eHarmony, Match.com, or OkCupid of the cheating world. Once upon a time in college I had fun fantasizing my way through online dating profiles as well, but for me that kind of connection feels distant and slightly creepy. Also, I feel slightly nervous that I'll end up seeing a profile for some married man I know. And then what?

I know tons of people have met through online dating sites and made wonderful and fulfilling connections, and I'm sure Ashley Madison is no different. I, however think I'll stick to the real world and have my extra-marital relations with people who are open and honest in their relationships and the boundaries they and their partners have set together.