I’ve fallen behind on housekeeping lately, and it was actually fairly satisfying to use part of last week’s “Staycation” to finish up some necessary behind-the-scenes updates to the blog archive and informational resources. There’s a wealth of content here at T.G.S. and one of my ongoing projects has been to figure out how best to make the back archive more easily navigable. Recently, I’ve added a new feature: a Pen Review archive that organizes all of the past T.G.S. Reviews, by brand, as well as an updated “Workhorse Pens” page that contains links to all of the posts I’ve written on pens I consider to be true “workhorses,” just like the Opus 88s I reviewed on Saturday. For those curious about my evaluation process, I try to update all of my various “Best Pen Recommendations” at least annually, and sometimes more frequently, as I do with my running post on Fountain Pen Friendly Paper. I hope you find these useful in making informed decisions on the pens, inks, and paper that you’re looking to purchase and use!
Finally, if you follow me on social media, and if you read this week’s Sunday Reading, you’ll know about the ever-increasing difficulties facing small businesses these days. It’s even harder where the majority of your online activity is devoted to providing free content, and I’d like to keep it that way. If you’re a longtime reader, and want to help support T.G.S., please consider joining the T.G.S. Patreon Program to offer your monthly support (there’s also a discounted annual pledge option), and if you’re in the market for a new pen, ink, or notebook, please consider shopping our curated selection of goods in the T.G.S. Curated Shop. Under the advice of friends much more experienced in online retail than I am, I also plan to launch a monthly “shop update” e-mail that is currently in the works, and which I plan to be less-frequent-but-more-involved than the typical e-mail blasts you receive from retailers, meaning more detail on why I’ve chosen to stock certain products and how I think they fit the vision of my shop. If you’d like to sign up to receive this e-mail, just visit the “subscribe” e-mail on the side bar and opt-in to receive e-mail marketing notices. (There’s also an opportunity to opt-in when you check out in the shop.)
Again, many thanks for all of you who have supported T.G.S. over the years, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure T.G.S. stays around for the long haul!