 Smileys :)
Throughout these pages you have probably seen me use these little symbols at the end of words. These are known as Smileys.
What are 'Smileys'?
A commonly used way to indicate emotion and inflection during communicating via basic text (e.g. Email, MUSH etc.), where obviously the meaning has to be read and understood without aid of hearing the speaker's voice, is the Smiley. Smileys (or Emoticons to give them their pseudonym) are textual symbols that people use within their responses to each other most commonly to indicate humour, sympathy, unhappiness etc. Many people, including myself, after writing for a long time using Smileys find it difficult to break the habit :)
Although lots of Smileys are depicted in the 3 character style, e.g. :-), many people online (including myself) prefer to use the two character variety, e.g. :), for speed.
An example of Smileys is given below:
| Emotion | Commonly associated Smiley |
|---|
| Smiling / Grinning | :) or :-) |
| Winking / Naughty | ;) or ;-) |
| Laughing | :D or :-D |
| Smooch! | :* or :-* |
| Sarcasm | :> or :-> |
| Bad News / Sympathy | :/ or :-/ |
| Unhappiness / Sadness | :( or :-( |
There are many many more of these than the basic list I have here. A more complete list can be found on EFF here. A beginners guide to Smileys can be found here too.
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