The ad on TV was for a company that seemed too unreal to be believed. "Romantic rendezvous for attached adults," the spokespeople said. Even the alliteration they used seemed unreal. At the end of the ad, they flashed an URL on the screen. Since we've got wireless Internet and I had my Powerbook on the coffee table, I typed it in.

The company is the Ashley-Madison Agency, and according to their web site, they're a dating service -- with a twist. The slogans on their site are pretty provocative: "For attached women seeking romantic affairs and the men who want to fulfill them" and the pithy "Where monogamy becomes monotony!"

Hmmm...a service that's going to hook me up with lying cheats with serious issues, make me a homewrecker, get me in all kinds of hassles and probably have some angry husband and possibly kids ready to kill me with their bare hands. Where do I sign up?

Who wants to bet that Ashley-Madison will inspire an episode of Law and Order next season?

Recommended Reading

Adventures in Adultery. A piece from the December 7, 2002 edition of the National Post. The author reports on the sort of responses he got when he signed up.

Oh, yeah, this one's a keeper: One member, a divorced 36-year-old animated graphics designer, joined the site at the encouragement of a friend's husband. "I was feeling quite damaged from a previous relationship and wasn't looking for a commitment, so I figured I'd check out some married men." An excerpt from Unfaithful: In Alberta, it's cheating time again, an Edmonton Post article.

You can check out their ads (both TV and radio) as well as the rest of the media's coverage of their business on their media page.