Ashley Madison is a website launched in 2002 that focuses on setting up two people who may be having difficult in their marriage, finding fulfillment in such a relationship or who are looking for another type of connection outside their commitment.  Recently, Ashley Madison has been in the spotlight on various programs, such as The View and has brought up the debate as to whether the service actually encourages infidelity.

According to Ashley Madison's founder Noel Biderman, the website does not promote or encourage infidelity. It seeks to offer a safe haven for those unsatisfied by any part of their marriage. Ashley Madison offers a free trial, then a paid serviced that requires information such as full names, phone numbers and credit card data in order to verify identity. This type of screening makes Ashley Madison more credible a place to possibly stray than Craigslist, MySpace and other venues that might be chosen to find a connection between two people.

Since you control the amount of information you give to those on Ashley Madison, you can walk away at any time. In many cases, those unhappy in a marriage tend to look elsewhere for the satisfaction they are missing. Engaging in a service like Ashley Madison is a safe way to explore what is out there on your own terms while examining why exactly things may not be satisfying in your relationship.

At the end of the day, Ashley Madison does encourage users to look within themselves to see why they are using the service to begin with. While infidelity is a serious issue in any marriage, Ashley Madison provides a website and connection service that offers more safety and protection than random hook-ups, online message boards and other shady places around the Internet. When it comes down to it, you have to decide if Ashley Madison is worth ruining your marriage; if it is, perhaps you should get out before you take a step you cannot take back.