Easy to Use
AshleyMadison.com has often been praised as a dating website for its extreme ease of use. Given that the website wants the exchange between users to be as simple as possible so secrecy can be maintained at all times, the ease of use has been turned up as a result. The ability to search for matches, manage profiles, and buy credits are all set out in plain sight. The user can easily search by using filters, edit their profile and see what other users will see when looking at the profile, view lists of people the user has interacted with as well as blocked, see who has been viewing the user’s profile, access the mail system which stores all the messages between users, view billing and payment options, and access a unique feature of AshleyMadison.com, Traveling. Traveling allows a user to see other users in a particular city they are about to go to, allowing for a sort of sneak peak into possible matches before they are ever in the city in question.
Search Functions
AshleyMadison.com has fairly extensive search function capabilities. The search function is divided into two, standard and advanced, both having specific filters to narrow down potential matches. The advanced function has more filters, offering a customizable search for matches, even searching for smoking habits, height, weight, hair color, among others users report in their profiles and questionnaires. This allows for a very specific search, centering on only the most strict matches that suit the user’s wants from the website’s matching system. The dating website operates in a specifically male-dominated atmosphere. As such,
generally, men do the searches. The advanced filters can focus the system down to something as specific as the city. This is done mainly through the user’s direct control rather than the website matching people based on common likes and dislikes. It is essentially a search engine for relationships. Once a match is successfully made, the user can message the match by clicking on their profile. Women can message for free while men are charged to message women as well as receive messages from women.
Safety & Security
AshleyMadison.com has upgraded its security in recent years due to hacks and bot infiltration. As such, it has standard encryption software, as well as anonymity for its users. Due to the simplicity of its registration process, it keeps very little personal information in its systems. There is no verification process, however, leading to the possibility of bots and fake profiles. The FAQ of AshleyMadison.com covers ways to personally secure information, proper practices to engage in when using the site, as well as to be aware of scams and fake profiles it actively monitors its system for. The website suggests operating in incognito mode whenever possible, or to delete cookies and browsing history if not doing so. The website does not hold responsibility for the safety of specific people going on dates. This is up to the caution of the user when he/she is meeting someone face to face. Abuse on the website is not tolerated and can be reported via email or phone found in the contact us tab on the website.
Summary
Overall, AshleyMadison.com is a legitimate business, offering its services to customers like any other business. It is essentially a search engine/messaging service for married men and women. It operates with secrecy and discretion in mind, given the nature of its service. It does this legally and effectively. All in all, it is like any other business. It is simple to use, and as long as the user is willing to pay, the dating site will provide to the best of its ability.