Poll:
Do you approve of websites like ashleymadison.com?
Poll:
Would you use a Website like ashleymadison.com if you chose to have an affair?
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - Who knew promoting an affair could turn into big business.
Maybe it's a website you haven't heard of, but thousands of people in Kentuckiana apparently have.
The creator of the Canadian-based website says if you think cheaters never prosper, then think again.
The website may not be a household name in Kentuckiana just yet but in cities like New York and L.A. it’s a different story. The website’s slogan is “Life is short, have an affair.”
Noel Biderman started the website in 2002 and since then, more than 5 million people have joined the site; some married, some not and their not necessarily looking for love, but just a fling.
So you think this is a big city thing and people here in Kentuckiana aren't logging on and hooking up? Think again.
There are some 16,000 users in Louisville alone with people with names like Smitten Kitten logging on.
Some people are looking perhaps for just a cyber affair, while others are looking for a whole lot more.
There are twice as many men than women on the site.
One woman's screen name, Kentucky Tinkerbell, says “neglected wife help me.”
But help in the form of an affair? The creators say they help preserve marriage.
Heather Brooks is a local marriage and family therapy associate and is married herself.
She has counseled many couples after an affair and she says it never solves anything.
Shadow me for a month and see what a big problem it can create; pain and tears with that kind of decision.
As for people using the website, a local man wrote and said, “Ultimately I’m not a bad person, I just have a physical need that should be fulfilled at home…it isn't, what do you do?”
A woman named Kitty writes, “It's amazing how much excitement it is after ten years of marriage to feel so passionate and somewhat daring again.”
Heather Brooks gets the adrenaline rush but marriage is not just about us, there is someone else involved too.
So, is the websites motto a very realistic one?
Like it or not, cheating is a fact of life and in this case cheaters prosper, at least the people who run the website.
And prosper they do, access to the site works through a series of credits. The most basic is free where you reply to messages others send.
You can upgrade all the way up to the affair guarantee but it will cost you.
The website was created in 2001 and named after the most popular baby names that year - Ashley and Madison in an effort to attract women to the website.
What do you think of this website? Would you ever use it? Please leave you comments below.
