On the Web, a Growing Market for Philanderers -- USA TODAY

Well it's Valentine's Day and many people are celebrating what relationships they have and the feelings they harbor for their significant other and their friends. Whether it be a romantic love or just an appreciative love towards your children or your parents. What about the people who are unhappy in the current relationships that they have? Well ironically there's a site for that! As USA Today states in its article there are new threats posed towards marriages, not just with affairs with the secretary or another coworker the Ashley Madison Dating site advertises itself as for those who are looking for an affair. What has society come to the point where when someone is unsatisfied with their spouses efforts? And apprently these sites are the most successful after Valentine's Day. So a word of advice, "If your Valentine's Day expectations aren't met, your mate might soon be looking elsewhere for a little romance and appreciation."

Now the site itself is much like any other (cheap) dating site. The information that people give when they sign up for a site like Ashley Madison includes your limits (Something short/long term, cyber affair/erotic chat, whatever excites me, anything goes, and undecided), height, weight, and date of birth. Through these terms you can search for a suitable person (attached male/female, unattached male/female, same gender, etc) at which point you can either meet or just keep it to the internet.

Why has this become such a problem? Well as the founder and CEO of Ashley Madison states, "People are disappointed by their spouses' lack of effort, and they feel especially undervalued when there is a societal expectation of romance. Certain days of the year act as litmus tests for many people in relationships." All right, I see a few problems with this, (1) relationships are being undervalued, (2) relationships are expected to be easy, and (3) people are seeming to be unwilling to sort out the problems that they face.

A sociologist that interviewed members of the Ashley Madison site stated that the reason these sites are so successful is due to the fact that "people aren't taking care of their marriages." Paort of the issue is that people are becomming attached to the social networking sites of the day such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, blogs, and other sites that there is more potential for issues. USA Today presents this warning: "Social networking sites can open a Pandora's box of relationship destroyers -- unleashing everything from affairs, to rekindling of past toxic relationships, jealousy, imaginary online relationships that replace face-to-face intimacy, and online stalking, to name a few."

Things to watch for:

• Relationship Status -- your spouse should be willing to provide their relationship status on websites, if they are not, it probably is a red flag to sit down and talk.
• Trust! This is one of the most important aspects of a marriage.
• The Past: avoid reconnecting with old flames, while it may seem enticing at the time it can end up incredibly messy. If you just want to sit down for coffee maybe suggest meeting them with your spouse or significant other.
• Too Much Information: Watch what you say online, particularly if you're venting about a relationship.
• It's Permanent: Hey, most people think that a post on the internet is temporary, but actually everything we email, post, tweet, share, or whatever is recorded in a database.

Shocking quote:

"Websites designed to facilitate cheating appear to be thriving; some earn tens of millions of dollars a year, and competition is growing."

As someone who has seen others be cheated on and feared the possibility of someone cheating on me I understand the importance of communication and putting energy into a relationship. This means loving one another, but also respecting one another, even when there are problems.

And as a closing note, be careful and enjoy the people around you!