[ N.B. WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY PUTTING UP PERSONAL ADS SO PLEASE RETURN TO THIS PAGE AT A LATER DATE TO CHECK WHETHER THIS IS STILL THE CASE BEFORE SUBMITTING AN INTRODUCTION FOR THIS SECTION.

I plan to create a special Taken In Hand forum for single individuals hoping to meet a potential spouse with whom they can have a Taken In Hand relstionship, but please be patient as this won't happen immediately.

DO NOT post anything resembling a personal ad, or any post that could be interpreted as fishing for a partner. Such material will simply be deleted.

Question: “How do I find someone with whom to have a Taken In Hand relationship if I can't post a personal ad?!”

Answer: Post interesting on-topic comments and articles and you will attract attention through your on-topic content.]

IMPORTANT NOTE: You post or reply to introductions at your own risk. We cannot in any way vet those who place ads or those who reply, so please understand that the responsibility for your safety and happiness rests entirely with you. Exercise the same caution in regard to Taken In Hand ads as you would do on any other web site. On no account assume that anyone here must be okay. If anything, be even more cautious than you would be meeting someone through an ordinary personal ads site. See also this article.

Introducing...

James (Example only: James is no longer available)
Cat (Example only: no longer available)
Richard (Example only: Richard is no longer available)
Blizzisme
(Example only: Blizzisme is no longer available)
John (Example only: no longer available)
Saundra (Example only: no longer available)
Missy (Example only: no longer available)
Lynne (Example only: no longer available)
Callie (Example only: no longer available)
Tess
Rachael (Example only: no longer available)
Dee (Example only: no longer available)
Eva
Catriona
Richard
Mike
Agnes
Emmi
Ariel (Example only: Ariel has met her Mr Right!)
Shannon
Drystan
Eve
Marie
Nina
Carl
Tim
Amy
WindWarrior
Kay
Philamon
Romeo
Seekingmytruth
Firebird
Beth

Want to write an ad yourself? Read on!

[ N.B. WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY PUTTING UP PERSONAL ADS SO PLEASE RETURN TO THIS PAGE AT A LATER DATE TO CHECK WHETHER THIS IS STILL THE CASE BEFORE SUBMITTING AN INTRODUCTION FOR THIS SECTION.]

N.B. Please do not post personal ads on this site. If you wish to have an ad posted on this site, submit it as explained below.

I'd like to thank everyone who has expressed an opinion on the subject of whether or not Taken In Hand should have a section for personal ads. I have appreciated the comments and email messages very much, and have now made a decision.

As you can see from the poll results, most individuals responding said yes, we should have such a page, but a large number also said no.

Some fear that Taken In Hand will be cheapened by having a personals page, and that weeding out the undesirable elements might be a huge headache for me. So it has been suggested that we should instead provide links to other sites having personal ads. Here are some typical quotes:

Robert wrote:

I've found the people associated with Taken In Hand to be more intelligent, friendly in their writing, and knowledgeable about the subjects of which they write. The topics themselves have more depth and are more stimulating to read. I'd hate to see this site become diluted.

Daisy, who met her wonderful man on Yahoo personals, wrote:

I think links to other matchmaking/dating sites is helpful but to have personal ads would cheapen the experience here since it is bound to attract an element that I personally would not like to see here.(unless the boss has a plan to weed out the sickos)

I'd be delighted to include links to lots of sites' personal ads pages, so please, everyone, send me your lists of links. I don't even know where to find Yahoo personals, let alone more relevant pages. Actually, I have recently visited two personals sites Taken In Hand readers have told me about, but their focus is different from ours. If you advertise on a site having a focus that does not quite fit, you are likely to get replies from individuals who don't quite fit. So, if anything, the fact that Taken In Hand is unique is an argument in favour of us having a page of our own for personal ads.

But how can we prevent Taken In Hand being cheapened, diluted, or otherwise ruined by undesirable ads? I have an idea, and I think it is worth trying. If it has any deleterious effects, rest assured that I won't hesitate to end the experiment.

It is not enough simply for the ads not to ruin Taken In Hand. They must add to it. They must be worth reading in their own right. And they must be appropriate for Taken In Hand in other ways. They must be interesting articles and they must have the ring of truth. So that rules out anything reminiscent of a typical personal ad!

To this end, if you would like to introduce yourself on this new section of Taken In Hand, please submit your article here, stating clearly that it is an introduction for the personals section, and please state what email address we should attach to your introduction. Submit an introduction on the understanding that articles are put up or not at our discretion. If your article is rejected, it will be nothing personal. I have already rejected an ad written by a dear friend of mine because, despite its length, it had the feel of a typical personal ad. I hope that that person will have another bash at it.

If your introduction would be acceptable with significant editing, you will be offered that option. Any significant changes suggested must be approved by the poster before an ad is put up. If your ad would be more appropriate for a different site, we'll simply point you in the direction of that other site. Be sure to read this page before you write an ad.

To make it easier for you to make your introduction not sound like a typical online dating personal ad profile [ick], be sure to say which articles on this web site particularly appeal to you and explain why, if you can. This is a very individual thing and will help the reader build up a better picture of you and the kind of relationship you want. Say what Taken In Hand means to you – how you see it and why you want such a relationship. Mention which articles on Taken In Hand most speak to you, and why. Avoid like the plague statements like: “I'm a fun-loving adventurous bubbly blonde 21yo NS SWF living in SoCal and seeking a SWM aged 20-25 with a good sense of humor for a Taken In Hand relationship.“ Save such predictable inanities for dates4u.com.

Just as we reserve the right to reject any ad, we also reserve the right to delete any ad without notice.

Given the stringent requirements and the selection procedure, and given that most Taken In Hand readers appear to be married, my guess is that very few readers will submit introductory ad articles, so I don't think this will be too much work for me.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You post or reply to introductions at your own risk. We cannot in any way vet those who place ads or those who reply, so please understand that the responsibility for your safety and happiness rests entirely with you. Exercise the same caution in regard to Taken In Hand ads as you would do on any other web site. On no account assume that anyone here must be okay. If anything, be even more cautious than you would be meeting someone through an ordinary personal ads site. See also this article.

Having said all this, if you are looking for a Taken In Hand relationship, I do hope you will have a bash at writing an article-length introduction for this page. You don't have to be a good writer, you just have to be sincere and write enough to give the reader a good feel for the sort of person you are and the sort of relationship you think you'd like. You might like to send your draft to some friends and get their feedback before submitting it to Taken In Hand.

To give you an idea of the sort of introduction that would be suitable, please read this example. Note that the man who wrote it received many replies (not surprisingly!) and is now no longer available.