It never ceases to amaze me how many different forms of
communication have been developed for online use.
Because you don't get to see the smile or frown, or hear
the subtle tones of the speakers voice in an email or
online, sometimes the reader can miss or misinterpret the
meaning of a message.
And many times there may be cultural differences in our
growing International Internet community. A reader from
another country might be offended by something that we
say, sometimes without our even knowing it.
Since email messages, chat and online help screens are
often still text-based only, people have come up with some
pretty creative ways to use characters to represent their
emotions and facial expressions.
These are often referred to as a smiley face or smilie.
The spelling seems to be "all over the map" and several
variations can be found online.
Every once in a while, I'll get an email with some form of
a "smiley face" in it. While there are literally hundreds
of these, here are just a few of the more common ones that
I have seen over the years.
:-) Basic smiley
:-} Beard
:-( Boo hoo or a frown
:( Sad
:-< Real sad
:) Happy
:-D Laughing
:D Laughter
:Q What did you say?
+:-) Priest
+-:-) Holds religious office
Obviously, you need to "see" these as if you were turning
your head 90 degrees to the left, but many browsers and
email programs convert them into colored images that look
sort of like the real thing.
Here are a few more.
[:-) Wearing a walkman
B-) Wears horn-rimmed glasses
::-) Wears normal glasses
{:-) With hair parted in the middle
(:-) No hair, bald
Here are a few links to more smiley resources than you will
probably ever need:
English and German smilie list
Fingertek web site smiley list
A simple two-character :) addition to a remark can add
emphasis, telling the reader that you mean the message to
be humorous, and can sometimes mean the difference between
an angry, or an "Oh, I get it!" reply.
So if you want to express your feelings, or add a little
more meaning to your messages, try using a "smilie" now
and then.
Ralph Moore, Editor - Eagle Flyer Newsletter - Get
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