Figuring Out the Best Freelance Jobs for Writers

Are you interested in becoming a writer? Or, a freelancer? Whether you want to be an online writer, copywriter, editor, graphic designer, or social media marketer, you need some freelance jobs! But, with so many writing jobs online, how do you figure out which freelance job is the best for you? What is the onboarding process to land a freelance job? When I first started as a web writer, I made a ton of mistakes, and I know that I probably lost jobs and money because of that. I dont want that happening to you. Lets dive into the best job boards you can use, what your job is as a content writer, what type of projects you will do and how to submit your pieces so you can get paid for your writing (or social media posts or editing). Best Freelance Job Boards for Writers Since my knowledge is in online writing, I will share with you the information you need to land some freelance jobs just for writers. These are content writing jobs that you do for businesses online. Lets look at the best freelance job boards to find writing gigs. 1. Contena Contena is a job board that curates online writing jobs from other job boards, social media, and from career/job pages for businesses. Its one of the quickest ways to land writing jobs because you only need this job board to find gigs. As well, this job board also has educational training material, coaching, and alerts so you dont miss out on freelance jobs. Finally, Contena uses Pro rates which shows you rates in different industries. As a new freelance writer, you can see if the niche you choose has the best rates. If youre interested in using Contena,use my special 10% discount code elna10. You get10% off any optionor10% off each payment if you choose the payment route. ANDif you pay in full you receive a 20% discount PLUS your coupon will stack on top of that! 2. Problogger Problogger is a popular free freelance job board with some great entry-level freelance jobs for newbies. The only downside to using a free job board is that everyone else knows about this place too! So, there is a lot of competition when using these free job boards, but thats not to say you cant land some great gigs. You just need a strong pitching process when using these job sites. Make sure to visit this site twice a day and try to be the first to reply to these gigs to stand out. 3. Freelance Writing Freelance Writing is another free job board that curates writing gigs from many sources like Craigslist, Indeed, and more. I was able to land my first real writing job using his job board. So, make sure to check this site often and apply to any freelance job that is remotely interesting to you! 4. Writers Work Writers Work is one of the new job boards Im using. What I like about this site is that it has a modern user platform and its easy to see what new freelance jobs are available quickly. I also like that they have some educational training videos to help improve your writing skills. Writers Work can also act as a project management tool where: You can set goals You can track your writing output words typed and the time it took You can write out your documents and use their Grammar editing tool You can also create a profile and can use that profile link to share in your pitches or marketing strategies. If you are bootstrapping it and cant have a writer website, using something like Wirters Work might be a good option for you. Writers Work is budget-friendly, at $15/month or a one-time fee of $47, and its great tool for anyone new to freelance writing. Freelance Jobs The Contact Person So, who wants a content writer or freelance editor or even a social media manager? There are many types of businesses that require a writer. Lets look at four of them. 1. Start Ups Start ups can be a great way to enter into online writing. When I first started, I picked up a health writing gig for a start up meal planning site. The pay wasnt high, but since this was a new freelance job for me, I took it and Im glad. It was bylined showed that I wrote it and it showed the type of projects I like blog writing. I was able to use those blog posts for my portfolio to pick up more health gigs (if I wanted more health gigs, but as it turned out, I leaned towards digital marketing as my freelance writing niche). When looking at start ups for a freelance job, know that they have a very limited budget for content marketing. They are using their budget for paid ads, lead generation tools, social media marketing, and more. Content marketing is a small portion of their marketing strategy. But, as a beginner freelancer, this might be perfect for you. You get to gain writing samples, which can help you pick up more writing gigs and this beats writing for free when you guest blog. 2. Brands Brands are the complete opposite of start ups. Brands can be the big guys in the marketing world. Think Walmart, Pampers, American Express, etc.. Brands can also be newer businesses that are growing and becoming popular. Typically, brands have the budget for their content marketing strategy and will pay writers what they are worth for content. Picking up a brand gig is more challenging than a start up gig, but it can be a goal for you (as it was for me!). 3. Small Businesses Small businesses are my ideal clients, and there is no shortage of freelance jobs if all you ever have are small business clients. Rates for small business content marketing vary depending on the niche and how large their business is. Since I write for mostly digital marketing clients, my rates are high because of the caliber of writing they require long-form industry-specific content. 4. Magazines Finally, another type of client you may have are magazine clients. Magazines usually pay $1 per word and can be very high paying. Personally, I never wanted to write for magazines because getting paid can take weeks or months. With small businesses, I get paid after each project, at the end of the week or the end of the month. Magazines also require citation using APA, MLA or Chicago styles. For me, I like the conversational nature that blog writing has and the ease of formatting blog content than I would have to do for a magazine article. Okay So we got to see some types of clients that you will run into as a freelance writer, but who are the people you pitch to or email? When you start outreach and contacting these businesses, who do you usually connect with? Here is a short list of contact people: Editor Content manager Owner Blog manager For most of my projects, the content manager or owner is my contact person. Out of all the types of contact people, editors might be more stringent on revisions and edits. Ive worked with a couple of editors and found it a challenge for me. But thats okay. When you work as a freelancer, you can pick and choose which clients you want to work with! Win-win! Freelance Jobs Project Scope When figuring out the best freelance jobs for you, you will probably focus the most on the type of project thats being advertised. As you start looking at job boards, you will see a lot of titles for a content writer. Lets look at six typical projects you will see on job boards or that businesses need for their content plan 1. Blog Writing I believe all businesses online need a blog. A blog is typically the first step in a lead generation strategy for businesses. They may use social media to attract a lead, and the lead will click over to their blog. But, its the WRITING on their site the blog post that can convert a lead into a client or subscriber or customer. And, since many business owners arent the best writers or dont have the time to dedicate to writing they look to us as the professional writer to help them create some awesome content for their blog. Blog writing jobs are also recurring and can really stop the roller-coaster income some freelancers have. 2. White Papers White papers are more formal in nature than a blog post. White papers are used as a lead magnet to help grow a businesss email list. While many types of white papers are technical and business-related, as a freelance writer, you can balance the tech jargon with some natural writing that is easy to read. These papers are also longer than a blog post but much shorter than a book. Think around 10-18 pages. Because of the type of information and length of white papers, they can be a very lucrative freelance job. 3. Email Copy The money is in the list. For practically every successful business and blog online, they use email as their main marketing efforts. Email marketing is still a powerful tool to gain leads, and income, and business owners know this. They would likely hire out copywriters or online writers for their email marketing copy. From sales funnels to promotional campaigns, businesses need this type of content to help them grow. Rates for this type of freelance job is high, but you do need a proven track record to land these types of gigs. Starting your own email list can help with those metrics as well as doing some free work in exchange for a testimonial can help you gain that information. 4. Ghostwriting Ghostwriting is another highly lucrative project for content writers. As a ghostwriter, your name is nowhere on the content you produce for your clients. You write in the voice of your clients, and the client receives credit for your content. Because of this setup, ghostwriters are usually compensated heavily for this. As the writer, you cant market your ghostwritten work or tell anyone about it (unless the company says you can). Thats why authors, actors, influencers, and more hire ghostwriters for their eBooks, emails, or other types of content. Tip: be careful of finding ghostwriting gigs on sites like Upwork or even on some job boards. These types of ghostwriting projects are usually in bulk and very low paying. Do not take these types of freelance jobs! 5. Copywriting Copywriting is a service your can offer as a writer. Think of copywriting as persuasive writing to help move a person from point A to point B. Your words have to sell the reader on what you are writing about. Typically, copywriters are used for sales pages, landing page copy and other promotional materials. Through the use of story-telling, copywriting principles, and effective copy, you can pick up some high-paying writing gigs as a fairly new writer. Within my first year of online writing, I landed a website copywriting gig for an influencer. I wrote mini sales pages and product descriptions for her so that she can use that to promote her products. 6. Article Writing Personally, article writing is similar to blog writing in that the type of information and format is similar. However, articles can be more comprehensive with up-to-date stats, case studies, and interviews. They are also published on magazines or online magazines. For example, Carrie Madormo writes articles for Readers Digest. What Makes a Good or Bad Freelance Job? When trying to decide what is the best freelance job for you, look at the content plan for each gig you have. Businesses want content either: Daily Weekly Bi-weekly two times a week Monthly Ad-hoc basis whenever the client needs content. You have to see if that freelance job can fit your schedule. Remember, you need more than one writing job to make a living as a writer. I wouldnt bank on one or even two freelance jobs for your monthly income. One business or both may go under or reduce their content projects. Also, you may learn later that one of the clients is a horrible client or a scope creeper. Because of this, pick up a few different types of projects. As a new content writer, I picked up two weekly blogging gigs, and two ad-hoc blogging gigs and helped me make a living writing. I also didnt work 50 hours a week to fulfill those projects. My weekly blogging gigs were easy for me and the ad-hoc gigs had long deadlines (30+ days). Another thing to look at when figuring the best freelance job for you is the entire scope of the project. Many freelance writing job ads will just list out the content writing responsibilities and may casually mention they have more work for you if they hire you. This can be a red flag! Many businesses are looking for an all-in-one person to do not only blog posts, but also: Social media posting Email copy Social media automation Editing I personally wouldnt take these freelance jobs because it looks like youre chained to a job for an employer! No way! As a freelancer, you pick and choose your work and its better to work with a variety of clients doing small projects. Its okay to pick up a big project here and there, but dont be sucked into the bait-and-switch when applying to freelance jobs on job boards. Freelance Jobs Requirements Okay Youve got your list of the best job boards and the types of projects you can do as a freelance writer. Now, lets look at the requirements many of these job ads want for their writer. 1. Resume Look Im all for you landing your first freelance job, but remember this you are no longer an employer; youre a freelancer, a collaborator. When a company asks for your resume, they are in the wrong mindset. They are looking at you as an employer. So, when the job ad asks for the resume, you can politely direct them to your writer website and portfolio page or your LinkedIn profile. Of course, its okay if you do have a resume for your online writing. There is no shame in providing that, but just remember why you decided to freelance! 2. Cover Letter Many freelance jobs will ask for a cover letter. Again, Im not one to provide a company with a cover letter, but if you have to, then go ahead. A cover letter is like your pitch, so its easy to write up since you email your pitch already. 3. Writing Samples All freelance jobs will ask you for your samples. Your writing samples can help businesses decide if your writing is up to their standards, how engaging your writing is and your credibility in your writing niche topic. So, before finding that perfect freelance job, figure out your writing niche and write some samples in those niche topics. For example, lets say you want to be a parenting writer. Here are some potential writing samples that show your credibility as a writer in this niche: How to Get Baby to Sleep Through the Night Surprising Advice from the Experts How Using this Simple Approach Can Relive the Stress During the Kindergarten Drop-off What 45 Moms Say About Breastfeeding in Public 4. Portfolio For many online writers, they link their portfolio in their pitch email. Your portfolio is a page on your website or a page online like my Contently portfolio where you list all your writing samples. A portfolio on your writer website is a great way to hook a potential client into a paying client. Not only do they see your samples, but they can click around on your writer website to get to know you better. And this can help them decide if youre the writer for them much faster than if you linked to a few writing samples from various blogs. Here is my portfolio page on my writer website. Freelance Jobs Submitting Your Work There are generally three ways you can submit your writing work to your clients. Make sure that before you start your project, you know the preferred method for providing your work to your client. 1. Email By far, the most popular method for many businesses is to have their freelancers submit their work via email. As the content writer you can add your article from either MS Word to your email. Or, if you wrote your article in Google Docs, you can email that to your client directly or grab the sharable link and use that link in your email. I would title your email the name of your project and include your author bio with a headshot. As well, I always mention in my email to let me know how they liked my client piece. I dont usually do revisions since none of my clients ask for revisions, but if they do, I gladly revise parts of my post for them. Other writers, however, tell businesses they will do up to two-three revisions before they start charging. 2. Backend of WordPress (Or Similar Content Management System) Another popular method businesses and brands have writers submit their work is to upload their article to the backend of their WordPress site. Ive had several clients give me access to their site so I can upload my content and images. With these types of freelance jobs you may also have to: Add your images Set the meta description Create the feature image Set the social media description Schedule the post 3. HTML Format A less popular way to submit your work as a freelancer is to submit your piece in HTML format. Technical content blogs for example may want your content in this format. It makes it easier to upload to their WordPress site. I have never had to submit my content this way, but I do often submit my author bio as HTML to make it easier for the client. Freelance Jobs Payment So, how do writers get paid online? The most popular and preferred method for online businesses is to use a Paypal Business account. While there are other online merchant services you can use, it may be a challenge for your clients to use that type of payment system. So, if possible, get a Paypal account for your writing business. You can generate your own invoice statement if you want I do or use a free invoice generator: Free Invoice Generators Free invoice template Invoice Simple Zoho Free Invoice Generator After you receive feedback (for new clients only or depending on each client), submit your invoice and ask for a testimonial if you already dont have a testimonial from that client. Get Your Writing On! Figuring out your best job as a writer should take some time. You need to figure out the job boards you will use, the type of projects you want to write, your writing sample topics, job requirements, and more before you land your first gig. So grab a coffee, bookmark this post and get your writing on! Over to you Is freelance writing something youre interested in doing? Let me know the comments! And, if you found this post helpful, I would sincerely love it if you shared it and or linked to it to help others learn more about this business!

Virtue Ethics Example

Virtue Ethics Example Virtue Ethics – Coursework Example Virtue Ethics The lecture attempts to explain the intricacies that revolve around the philosophical yet moral component of virtue ethics. It is important to understand the history of virtue ethics to disseminate the facets that make up the topic. The lecture makes it evident that virtue ethics stemmed from the Greeks’ perspective to the modern day philosophers who view virtue ethics as a moral obligation among humanity. The video illustrates the transition of virtue ethics from the Greeks who viewed it as a source of good living. The rise of Judaism and Christianity broadened the scope of virtue ethics and termed it as divine commands. Finally, due to continued secularism, the scope shifted to a subject of moral law terming virtue ethics as the most appropriate thing to do. The video continues to explain the modern day view of virtue ethics as propelled by philosophers such as John Stuart Mill (utilitarianism) and Emmanuel Kant (Absolutism). According to the theory of utilitar ianism, virtue ethics entail maximizing the good for the greatest population. On the other hand, the theory of absolutism entails accepting and following a set of beliefs as an obligation. However, the lecture creates a point of deviation from the theoretical point of view to a simplified perspective of virtue ethics as described by Aristotle. The video points out that Aristotle based his perspective of virtue ethics as the good of man. In addition, a comparison of such perspective with that of the Bible indicates that humanity ought to love without conditions or a set of beliefs. The explanation derived from the video indicates that virtue ethics is a balance between two extremes; that of deficiency and excess. As such, virtue ethics is about morality. In addition, Aristotle’s perspective, as per the video, indicates that such a balance entails what humanity consider as good rather than a set of guidelines and beliefs as that of absolutism.Work CitedLecture Notes. Retrieved from http://bbcourse.oc.edu/Professional_Studies/BUSA-3713_Simmons/Virtue%20Ethics%20%28video%29.m4v

TV Journal Entry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

TV Journal Entry - Essay Example As the discussion declares the author's hard work and determination can be seen in the course of my academic journey. One of his proudest milestones was to graduate with honors in high school despite his language limitations and to gain acceptance to the University of Minnesota. While attending the University of Minnesota, he was honored by belonging to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. he was recognized by the National Name Exchange Program based on my demonstrated academic merit. He has been honored by the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence. During my undergraduate studies, the author has worked extensively with Dr. LaDora Thompson. This paper stresses that the author has volunteered in Vietnam over the summer. He worked in the internal medicine department at the pharmacy clinic where my relatives work. His duties included helping patients walk after a surgery and assisting them to the bathroom. He has worked at the Snyder Drug Emporium. He was able to assist my aunts while they counseled their patients about the side effects of the drugs. His direct contact with patients, pharmacists, doctors and nurses enabled me to gain valuable experience. The influences of the author's childhood, academic background, volunteer and research experience have combined to instill in him a passion for my decision to become a doctor of pharmacy. He feels that his background has made me mentally and emotionally prepared to commit to the pharmacy profession. If he is admitted to your school it will be another step in carrying out the author's dream.

Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Jazz - Essay Example Wild is a unique woman who exhibits several literary features of a character known as Beloved in a previous novel. The similarity in the features of the two character is a strategy that the author uses to provide solutions to the problems he leaves unresolved in the previous novel as discussed in the essay below. Suspense is an artistic style employed by authors to sustain readership. It refers to a manner of developing a conflict and leaving it unresolved with a promise to resolve it in the next episode. Most authors address numerous conflicts in their storyline. They introduce multiple conflicts in a single chapter and leave them unresolved. The desire to determine the solution to the conflicts motivates the audience to continue reading to the next chapters. Morrison employs the strategy on a different scale as he uses the technique to join two separate novels. He uses hypothetical features of the character in the first novel, Beloved is an equally unique woman with most of her features such as the weird color of her skin resembling the color of Wild in the Jazz. Morrison refers to Wild’s skin color as coal black’ (Morrison 171]), this provides an outright connection with the first novel in which a female character entitled Beloved exists and performs mystical roles. The mystic nature of Beloved is similar to the nature of Wild in Jazz. The name Wild is appropriate since the woman disappears to the wild soon after giving birth to her son. She is therefore a wild woman whom the rest of the characters in the novel do not understand. Beloved was a spirit in the previous novel, she was equally unknown to the rest of the characters in the novel with most of the characters interacting with her only in their dreams. The similarity in their roles and features is a means the author uses to provide some of the soliloquies that audience may hold while reading the first novel. By portraying Wild as an actual character in Jazz, the author provides the audience

Benefits of Mobile Business Intelligence Research Paper

Benefits of Mobile Business Intelligence - Research Paper Example From the report it is clear that Mobile BI should be considered because it enables data that is captured by the mobile devices to be integrated on- the -fly hence enabling the mobile workers to get current reports and make important decisions on time.According to the discussion findings the Mobile BI should be considered because many individuals have the access of the tablet devices and Smart phones that are simple, affordable, and practical and provide strong analytics and features with functionality of forecasting algorithms in intuitive, user-friendly and browser environments that are customizable to many users and provide views that are meaningful. The new Mobile BI should be considered because it is cost effective and can be accessed anywhere so long as individuals have mobile phones. The technology improves knowledge sharing that supports organizational cohesion and collaboration. The business value for Mobile BI is that it enhances the organization’s customer satisfacti on and productivity and enables the business to succeed by adapting to the market, customers, and the competitive changes quickly. Mobile BI enables information technology organizations and businesses to evaluate business intelligence using mobile devices and examining software vendors’ offerings hence enabling the customers to assess products based on deeper understanding of how the new technology addresses their own business requirements.

Relationship Between Consumption And The Self Essay

Relationship Between Consumption And The Self Essay Consumption has always been an important aspect of human society, in different ways at different times and in different places (Clarke 2003). The consumer revolution, the birth of which is a subject of debates (McKendrick claims to have discovered it in the eighteenth century England, Williams- in nineteenth century France, and Mukerji- in fifteenth and sixteenth century England), represents not just a change in tastes, preferences, and purchasing habits but a fundamental shift in the culture of the early modern and modern world. (McCracken 1988) The consumer revolution is seen to have changed Western concept of time, space, society, the individual, and the state. Western culture gradually became increasingly dependent on and integrated with the new consumer goods and practices, which appeared from the sixteenth century onwards; culture and consumption began to fashion their present relationship of deeply complicated mutuality.(McCracken 1988) In such a consumer culture, consumption has an important significance to the meaningful practices of peoples everyday life. That is, they not only make their consumption choices from the products utilities but also from their symbolic meanings. Basically, consumption is employed not only to create and sustain self but to locate people in society as well. However, from a critical point of view, seeking to create the self through symbolic consumption can also contribute to the enslavement of individuals in the deceptive world of consumption. The following paper seeks to explore the theoretical approaches regarding the relationship between consumption and the self. {In the postmodern world} Our Identity is moulded as consumers. (Sarup 1996, p.120) Living life to the full became increasingly synonymous with consumption. (Gabriel and Lang 1995, p.7) The construction of self in modern society is considered to be invariably linked to consumption. The modern society undoubtedly represents a consumer culture, where peoples life functions in the scope of consumption. (Firat and Venkatesh 1995) It is, peoples social arrangement in which the relation between lived culture and social resources, between meaningful ways of life and the symbolic and material resources on which they depend, is mediated trough markets .(Slater 1997, p.8) Hence consumption is of great importance to the allusive practice of individuals everyday life. Along with the creation and maintenance of the self, consumption is also employed in order to locate different individuals in society (Elliott 1994a). The various material goods that people buy, the ideals and beliefs they held show who they actually are and whom they identify with. Indeed, people consume various things not only for satisfaction of personal needs but also for creation of their self-creation projec ts (i.e. for sense of significance in their pursuit of being ), which may be achieved symbolically through mundane consumption. The validity of this is confirmed by a considerable amount of literature. Lang and Gabriel argue that whether one is looking for happiness, identity, beauty, love , et cetera, there is a commodity somewhere which guarantees to prove it. In McCracken point of view, different products embody qualities that reach beyond their attributes or commercial value, which means, they are capable of carrying and accommodating cultural meanings. Symbolically, people use these meanings in order to create cultural idea of the self, to obtain and maintain lifestyles, to represent social connections and to promote changes in society and the self. (McCracken 1988) In other words, people consume these cultural ideas in order to exist in this culturally composing world. McCracken (1988a, p. Xi) confirms the latter point: without consumer goods, certain acts of self-definition a nd collective definition in this culture would be impossible. Shopping is not merely the acquisition of things: it is the buying of identity. (Clammer 1992, p. 223) Sartre (1998) argues that The bond of possessions is an internal bond of being. (p. 588) He emphasizes on the idea that people come to know who they are trough what they possess. By actually observing their material possessions they structure and sustain a notion of existential self. The idea of seeing is of vital importance, because as Sartre states to see it is already to possess it. In itself it is already apprehended by sight as a symbol of being . Thus, when see a superb landscape, people are capable of obtaining a notion of possessing the given landscape, and then associating it with their sense of being . This idea illustrates how people acquire a feeling of existing trough window shopping alone. To have is to be concept is also asserted by Belk (1988) and Dittmar (1992). Dittmar (1992, p. 204-06) argues: Material possessions have socially constructed meanings this symbolic dimension of material objects plays an important role for the owner s identity. This suggests that material social reality in an integral, pervasive aspect of everyday social life, of constructing ourselves and others. Belk (1988) in his examination of the connection between having and being , states that it is a two-fold process working in both directions respectively. Not only do people place their self-identities into their possession but they also integrate the latter into their identities; that is mirrored in the so called self-extensions process (i.e. the extended self). As extension of the self, peoples possessions not only enable them to find their actual characters but to achieve or adjust their sense of continuity from the past. Thus, material possessions act as a capacity to manage individual s life in its current course. As stated above to have is to be but to have also means to belong . Richins (1994, p. 523) states, Possessions are part of the social communication system and are sometimes actively used to communicate aspects of the self. Undoubtedly, when obtain personal possession that expresses peoples individual sense of identity and their sense of belonging to a group and collective identity. Material things encompass symbolic meanings, trough which a bridging of the self to others in society is possible. Dittmar (1992, p. 11) states: The notion that we express our identity trough our material possessions, and make inferences about the identity of others, on the basis of what they possess, means that there must be socially material objects as symbolic manifestation of identity. Nowadays, people are able to use consumption symbolically in order to gain a considerable sense of belonging to various imagined communities (Anderson 1983) or different neo-tribes (Maffesoli 1988). Thus, people consume different products that add to the symbolic means of identification of the self, trough which they associate themselves emotionally with those sharing their lifestyles. (Gabriel and Lang 1995) Consumption, as it has been stated in the above paragraphs, provides people with symbolic meanings to construct their self and identity, but it also can imprison them to the superficial sense of self and the enduring consumption. Therefore, from a critical perspective, to have means to be enslaved. If I am what I have and if what I have is lost, who then am I? (Fromm 1976, p. 76) According to Fromm, seeking to obtain a sense of being trough having hides a risk of losing it since having may not stay permanently. Contrary, he raises the idea that people realize the self by giving and sharing practices, et cetera. To have contributes to peoples enslavement of their own possessions. (Fromm 1976) People become slaves (i.e. commodities) in the realm of goods (Giddens 1991). Faurschou (1987, p. 82) argues: {Postmodernity is} no longer an age in which bodies produce commodities, but where commodities produce bodies: bodies for aerobic, bodies for sport cars, bodies for vacations, bodies for Pepsi, for Coke, and of course bodies for fashion total bodies-a total look. The colonization of the body as its own production/consumption machine in late capitalism is a fundamental theme of contemporary civilization. The belief that people are capable of exercising their freedom through certain choices seems unrealistic. Actually, we all not only follow lifestyles, but in an important sense are forced to do so-we have no choice but to choose (Gidddens 1991, p. 8). Also, Elliot (1994b) states that the pleasure, more specifically the immediate one derived from numerous consumption practices may imprison people in the scope of addictive consumption. Gergen (1991, p. 74-5) shows some apprehension over freedom of consumption: Yet this same freedom ironically leads to a form of enslavement. Each new desire places its demands and reduces one s liberties. Liberation becomes a swirling vertigo of demands. Daily life has become a sea of drowning demands, and there is no shore in sigh. The will and eagerness to be more, to grow more, to accumulate more and more, and more results in suffering and self-destruction of the individual. The only possible way of letting go this degenerated cycle is to accept the idea that to be is merely an illusion. Consequently, people should let go of their will to be , leave alone the desire to have . Considering all that has been stated above in the current paper about relationship between self and consumption strongly confirms their cooperative coexisting within and in developed societies of the contemporary world. The consumer is seen as caught in a cultural project (McCracken 1988), which main purpose is to achieve a full completion of the self. The consumer machine provides individuals with the necessary cultural materials in order to rationalise their varying ideas about themselves and their social roles in society. All of their cultural notions are embodied in the symbolic nature of goods, and it is through their possession and practices that individual understands the meaning in his own life. As Kavanaugh states, individuals in a society create themselves or define themselves culturally through the objectification of {a culture s} conceptual models in centrally prescribed phenomenal forms (McCracken 1988). It is through the systematic endowing of the meaningful properties of objects/goods that individual satisfied the opportunity and responsibility of self-definition. The logic and directions of this process of self and world construction through the nature of goods has been increasingly understudied and since recently it has been drawn accurate exploration. But which still needs further examination.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury :: Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451

Shortage of Books †I’ve always said poetry and tears, poetry and suicide and crying and awful feelings, poetry and sickness; all that mush!† exclaimed Mrs. Bowles to Montag in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451 (103). Mrs. Bowles thinks written words can make an individual really gloomy and disconsolate. Because the goal of this society is to always be satisfied, and to stay satisfied people watch TV, made up stories, which never makes them think or wonder, that is why Mrs. Bowles is convinced that poems are nasty. How does banning of books affect a whole community? Does the human civilization really differ without them? According to Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury assembles a civilization that is affected in three ways from having a lack of books: more brutality is among people, preternatural relationships cultivate, and intelligent capabilities decrease. First, cognitive ability degenerated because of the banning of books. Visiting Faber, he said to Montag â€Å"That was the year I came to class at the start of the new semester and found only one student to sign up for Drama from Aeschylus to O’Neill† (91). Faber told Montag a memory of how books were like a beautiful statue of ice, melting in the sun. He later realized that books had no meaning to people because people stopped thinking. If the lack of books has caused people to stop thinking, then people act on impulse, rather than taking the time to consider the effect of what they are doing. Therefore, the decrease of knowledge obviously caused ignorance which in turn leads to the unawareness of ones self being taken advantage of or enslaved. In greater meaning if an individual deprives a society of individual rights or slowly outlaws educational sources (such as books in this case) and do not let people make their own choices for themselves, then they begin to lose interest in things they enjoy and "fall into the crowd" becoming (though unaware) toys of the leaders of that society, who lead that crowd of people like a flock of lambs, and thus controlling everyone. In addition to unawareness, abnormal relationships develop in the society because without books one couple may struggle in communication. After Beatty’s visit Mildred concluded Montag’s question â€Å"My ‘family’ is people. They tell me things: I laugh, they laugh! And the colors!†(75). Mildred feels her family is just people as if she thought people were just objects roaming around the earth.