Partners News No 8 - August 2001
By Dave Percival
News from 2-in-2-1
If growth in numbers is a sign of there being a pent-up unmet need in the population at large for support in their marriages then the evidence from our statistics speaks volumes - in the past year traffic at 2-in-2-1 has virtually quadrupled!! In July 2000 we were excited that after just six months we had reached 25,000 page views per month - by August this year that figure is set to exceed 100,000, and we shall be up to 10,000 visitors per month!! In one sense it remains a drop in the ocean, but when we get responses like:-
- Your article on forgiveness hits the nail on the head in our relationship.
- The insight & structure of your Marital First Aid Kit was precisely what I required when I checked it out today. It gave clear and precise info, which was my salvation and reassurance at a time when I am desperate for that.... Thank you, thank you, you've saved my reason during the first stages of the betrayal & separation train ...
- Your words have helped me more than you'll ever know. I appreciate your straightforwardness and insight on my situation. I have been ignoring these problems for a really long time, hoping that they would disappear or change.
then we know that we are touching and changing lives in a very specific way.
What are people interested in? Unsurprisingly the biggest single area in terms of Page views is the Marriage Clinic, which draws over 47% of traffic. However pleasingly, the Health Club, Chapel and Weddings contribute very nearly as much demonstrating that people do look for positive information and encouragement on marriage as well as information when they are struggling.
The Bulletin Boards draw nearly 15% of all site traffic, and increasingly we are seeing a sense of community and mutual support. develop. Particularly moving has been the ongoing support between two ladies, both of whose husbands have left them early in their marriages as they struggle to deal with the emotions of coming to terms with life.
On the boards we have seen a lot of people struggling with the effect of affairs - not only physical affairs, but also the pain caused by internet pornography, and "cyber-affairs" - the sense of betrayal and the loss of trust is as powerful in these cases as when physical affairs take place.
It's interesting to contrast these findings with those from a survey carried out by Promoting Marriage at the Christian Resources Exhibition this year. Here a group of over 200 people (mostly already deeply involved in some form of Christian work) was asked for their views on what causes marriage failure. They were offered inability to resolve conflict, unmet expectations, financial problems and sexual incompatibility. The inability to resolve conflict (34%) scored highest, with unmet expectations next (31%) and financial problems (18%), while sexual incompatibility only got 3% vote.
