Social Networking and Divorce are they linked?
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Social Networking leading to higher divorce rate?
Social networking site becoming primary source of evidence in divorce proceedings and custody battles, lawyers say
Richard Adams in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 8 March 2011 19.26 GMT
Article history
Photographs taken from social networking sites are a rich source of evidence, divorce lawyers say.
When Facebook gets involved, relationships can quickly fall apart - as Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi have discovered. But dictatorships are not the only ties being dissolved by social networking sites: now Facebook is increasingly being blamed for undermining American marriages. Even though the rate of divorce in the US has remained largely stable in recent years, American divorce lawyers and academics have joined Middle East analysts in picking out Facebook as a leading cause of relationship trouble, with American lawyers now demanding to see their clients' Facebook pages as a matter of course before the start of proceedings.
"We're coming across it more and more. One spouse connects online with someone they knew from school. The person is emotionally available and they start communicating through Facebook," said Dr Steven Kimmons, a clinical psychologist and marriage counsellor at Loyola University Medical Centre near Chicago.
Yet while the US media has been quick to trumpet any evidence of Facebook as the country's leading marriage-wrecker, the truth is "It's complicated," as the site's relationship status would have it.
A 2010 survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) found that four out of five lawyers reported an increasing number of divorce cases citing evidence derived from social networking sites in the past five years, with Facebook being the market leader.
Two-thirds of the lawyers
surveyed said that Facebook was the "primary source" of evidence in divorce proceedings, while MySpace with 15% and Twitter with 5% lagged far behind.
Those statistics included not just evidence of infidelity but other legal battles, such as child custody cases in which parents deny using illicit drugs but boast of smoking marijuana on their Facebook pages.
Photographs harvested from social networking sites - including those posted by friends or colleagues on their own pages - are a particularly rich source of damning evidence, according to divorce lawyers.
"This sort of evidence has gone from nothing to a large percentage of my cases coming in," Linda Lea Vicken, a member of the divorce lawyers' group from South Dakota, told the Associated Press.
Marlene Eskind Moses, president of the AAML, said the openness and sharing of social networking sites left their users' public and private lives more exposed.
"If you publicly post any contradictions to previously made statements and promises, an estranged spouse will certainly be one of the first people to notice and make use of that evidence," said Moses.
Statistics for January from online analysts Nielsen showed 135 million people in the US visiting Facebook during the month - nearly 70% of the country's internet users. On average, users spent more than seven hours a month visiting the site, far longer than the less than half an hour spent on visits to Amazon or the average of two hours and 15 minutes on Google, America's most popular web destination.
The overall rate of divorce, however, appears to be unaffected by the advent of social networking. The most recent published data - from 2009 - shows the overall divorce rate declining, slightly more slowly than the shrinking percentage of Americans who get married every year.
A spokesperson for Facebook said: "It's ridiculous to suggest that Facebook leads to divorce. Whether you're breaking up or just getting together, Facebook is just a way to communicate, like letters, phone calls and emails. Facebook doesn't cause divorces, people do."
But given its popularity, it is little wonder that negotiating "Facebook divorce" status updates has become another unhappy event for failed romances, over when to launch the site's broken-heart icon out into the glare of the world's news feed.
Richard Adams in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 8 March 2011 19.26 GMT
Article history
Photographs taken from social networking sites are a rich source of evidence, divorce lawyers say.
When Facebook gets involved, relationships can quickly fall apart - as Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi have discovered. But dictatorships are not the only ties being dissolved by social networking sites: now Facebook is increasingly being blamed for undermining American marriages. Even though the rate of divorce in the US has remained largely stable in recent years, American divorce lawyers and academics have joined Middle East analysts in picking out Facebook as a leading cause of relationship trouble, with American lawyers now demanding to see their clients' Facebook pages as a matter of course before the start of proceedings.
"We're coming across it more and more. One spouse connects online with someone they knew from school. The person is emotionally available and they start communicating through Facebook," said Dr Steven Kimmons, a clinical psychologist and marriage counsellor at Loyola University Medical Centre near Chicago.
Yet while the US media has been quick to trumpet any evidence of Facebook as the country's leading marriage-wrecker, the truth is "It's complicated," as the site's relationship status would have it.
A 2010 survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) found that four out of five lawyers reported an increasing number of divorce cases citing evidence derived from social networking sites in the past five years, with Facebook being the market leader.
Two-thirds of the lawyers
surveyed said that Facebook was the "primary source" of evidence in divorce proceedings, while MySpace with 15% and Twitter with 5% lagged far behind.
Those statistics included not just evidence of infidelity but other legal battles, such as child custody cases in which parents deny using illicit drugs but boast of smoking marijuana on their Facebook pages.
Photographs harvested from social networking sites - including those posted by friends or colleagues on their own pages - are a particularly rich source of damning evidence, according to divorce lawyers.
"This sort of evidence has gone from nothing to a large percentage of my cases coming in," Linda Lea Vicken, a member of the divorce lawyers' group from South Dakota, told the Associated Press.
Marlene Eskind Moses, president of the AAML, said the openness and sharing of social networking sites left their users' public and private lives more exposed.
"If you publicly post any contradictions to previously made statements and promises, an estranged spouse will certainly be one of the first people to notice and make use of that evidence," said Moses.
Statistics for January from online analysts Nielsen showed 135 million people in the US visiting Facebook during the month - nearly 70% of the country's internet users. On average, users spent more than seven hours a month visiting the site, far longer than the less than half an hour spent on visits to Amazon or the average of two hours and 15 minutes on Google, America's most popular web destination.
The overall rate of divorce, however, appears to be unaffected by the advent of social networking. The most recent published data - from 2009 - shows the overall divorce rate declining, slightly more slowly than the shrinking percentage of Americans who get married every year.
A spokesperson for Facebook said: "It's ridiculous to suggest that Facebook leads to divorce. Whether you're breaking up or just getting together, Facebook is just a way to communicate, like letters, phone calls and emails. Facebook doesn't cause divorces, people do."
But given its popularity, it is little wonder that negotiating "Facebook divorce" status updates has become another unhappy event for failed romances, over when to launch the site's broken-heart icon out into the glare of the world's news feed.
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Online Dating Tips
Any form of dating requires some degree of risk and online dating is no exception. Many criminal types chose the Internet to prey on unsuspecting daters and hide behind the anonymity that the online environment can afford. You may be dealing with someone who has given you a fake name, false age, stolen photo and a host of other untrue information. Let ValidateMyMate.com help you discover the truth. The rise in violent, financial and identity crimes means you must be careful exposing yourself to avoid becoming a victim.
In spite of the risks, dating online is still one of the most popular ways to meet people with interests similar to your own that you would not otherwise come into contact with. Studies show that increasing numbers of lasting relationships start online and that these couples are confiding they have met their soul mate online. So if you are hoping to find your Mr. Right or Ms. Right online, here are some tips to help you avoid becoming victimized by a predator or scammer:
Tip #1 - Share Informations Sparingly
Do you know the true intentions of the person inquiring about you online? Often it can be quite the rush to engage in meeting someone new of the opposite sex online. Especially if they appear to be everything you are looking for in a mate. But ask yourself why they need to know your personal address or work schedule? Someone communicating with you online does not need to know vital information such as your home and work address. Consider it a warning when someone persists with finding out information you are not willing to share. As a safety measure, you may want to offer your match your information in a professional report from ValidateMyMate.com in exchange for the same from the person you are dealing with online.
Tip #2 - Keep Your Financials to Yourself
Banks are sending out disclaimers. Retailers want you to be clear on their position on the matter. The bottom line is that your financial information should only be shared online in confidence with the entities that will protect that information. Under no circumstances should you provide credit card, bank account or other financial information to someone who is interested in dating you. This includes get-rich-quick schemes, fake contests and lotteries as well as false financial crisis emails. If you believe you have a genuine financial opportunity being extended to you, let ValidateMyMate.com give you the information you need to decide before releasing your valuable financial information.
Tip #3 - Sounds Too Good To Be True...No, REALLY!
You can turn on the save feature within your personal instant messenger and email accounts which will allow for you to store your communication between you and your online connections directly on your hard drive. Go back and compare the information from one conversation to the next and look for inconsistencies or irregularities. More often than not, someone who is attempting to scam you or turn you into their prey will say something that tips you off. Go slow at first and ask the same questions more than once. Then order a Basic Report from ValidateMyMate.com and discover where the real truth lies.
Tip #4 - Make the First Date Publicly Visible
Even when your online acquaintance has passed the test online, there are some simple steps you should take to further protect yourself for meeting in person. First, agree to meet in a public place that you are familiar with. Second, let someone know where you are going, who you are meeting and establish a check system for contacting you or vice versa after the date is over to ensure you returned home safely. Third, take a friend if possible and introduce them. It doesn't have to be a date for three but let your online mate meet face-to-face with someone else as a safety precaution. This may sound overly cautious but someone who is similar to you will understand and perhaps even have some of the same ideas.
Final Note - Dating should be fun but when you have predators and scammers involved, it can become very dangerous. When you want to enjoy the feeling of spending an evening with someone you've met online that you believe is an ideal mate, let ValidateMyMate.com check their background and put the truth at your fingertips before you agree to meet in person. Worrying about fresh breath, perfect makeup, hair in place and nice cologne is natural. Wondering if your online date is a real life predator should not be.
In spite of the risks, dating online is still one of the most popular ways to meet people with interests similar to your own that you would not otherwise come into contact with. Studies show that increasing numbers of lasting relationships start online and that these couples are confiding they have met their soul mate online. So if you are hoping to find your Mr. Right or Ms. Right online, here are some tips to help you avoid becoming victimized by a predator or scammer:
Tip #1 - Share Informations Sparingly
Do you know the true intentions of the person inquiring about you online? Often it can be quite the rush to engage in meeting someone new of the opposite sex online. Especially if they appear to be everything you are looking for in a mate. But ask yourself why they need to know your personal address or work schedule? Someone communicating with you online does not need to know vital information such as your home and work address. Consider it a warning when someone persists with finding out information you are not willing to share. As a safety measure, you may want to offer your match your information in a professional report from ValidateMyMate.com in exchange for the same from the person you are dealing with online.
Tip #2 - Keep Your Financials to Yourself
Banks are sending out disclaimers. Retailers want you to be clear on their position on the matter. The bottom line is that your financial information should only be shared online in confidence with the entities that will protect that information. Under no circumstances should you provide credit card, bank account or other financial information to someone who is interested in dating you. This includes get-rich-quick schemes, fake contests and lotteries as well as false financial crisis emails. If you believe you have a genuine financial opportunity being extended to you, let ValidateMyMate.com give you the information you need to decide before releasing your valuable financial information.
Tip #3 - Sounds Too Good To Be True...No, REALLY!
You can turn on the save feature within your personal instant messenger and email accounts which will allow for you to store your communication between you and your online connections directly on your hard drive. Go back and compare the information from one conversation to the next and look for inconsistencies or irregularities. More often than not, someone who is attempting to scam you or turn you into their prey will say something that tips you off. Go slow at first and ask the same questions more than once. Then order a Basic Report from ValidateMyMate.com and discover where the real truth lies.
Tip #4 - Make the First Date Publicly Visible
Even when your online acquaintance has passed the test online, there are some simple steps you should take to further protect yourself for meeting in person. First, agree to meet in a public place that you are familiar with. Second, let someone know where you are going, who you are meeting and establish a check system for contacting you or vice versa after the date is over to ensure you returned home safely. Third, take a friend if possible and introduce them. It doesn't have to be a date for three but let your online mate meet face-to-face with someone else as a safety precaution. This may sound overly cautious but someone who is similar to you will understand and perhaps even have some of the same ideas.
Final Note - Dating should be fun but when you have predators and scammers involved, it can become very dangerous. When you want to enjoy the feeling of spending an evening with someone you've met online that you believe is an ideal mate, let ValidateMyMate.com check their background and put the truth at your fingertips before you agree to meet in person. Worrying about fresh breath, perfect makeup, hair in place and nice cologne is natural. Wondering if your online date is a real life predator should not be.
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