Emoticons, are also known as smileys/ smilies. Emoticons are used to show or explain emotion in the context of your writing. They are a great way to use text, and show emotion, in an otherwise flat email. Emoticons can make communication clear when you are teasing versus being serious. I’ve also used them to make sure someone understands what I have written was not meant to be taken overly seriously when I am sending a message about something important.
Making emoticons is as simple as typing on your keyboard. Look down there at your fingers, find the characters, press and release. Creating emoticons is simple, once you know which emoticon means which emotion.
Some emoticons, like the basic smile face, have developed several different versions over the years. Some have a nose and some are shortened to a two character smiley, no nose included. (The nose has become optional).
Using Emoticons for Online Chat
Online chat uses text emoticons and turns them into image files/ graphics. Often people are not actually talking about making emoticons, but these graphics when they ask about how to make emoticons.
Based on the original text emoticons these images are displayed as image files. Each chat (Yahoo, MSN, etc.) uses different emoticons and graphics. However, the basic smiley is still a smiley.
Sources for More Text-Based Emoticons
- List of emoticons – Wikipedia
- Text-Based Emoticons – PC.net
- Smileys, Emoticons, Japanese Smileys – NetLingo
:-) Smiley face :-( Frown face B-) Cool |-O Yawn :-D Laughing =D Laughing out loud :-/ Perplexed :-& Tongue tied :-J Tongue in cheek :-" Whistling :-O Eek :`( Crying face >-( Annoyed X-( Angry :-> Grin X-P Joking :-| Neutral :-* Kiss :-P Sticking out tongue ;-) Winking =) Happy face %-) Confused :-} Embarrassed 8-O Shocked %%- Good luck