Emoticon ======= Using Internet "Shorthand" ---------------------------- How You Can Be Just As Original As Everybody Else As a new person or "newbie" on the Internet, you'll probably be struck by the fact that a lot of the messages contain odd-looking words and punctuation. This is a kind of "shorthand" that Internet users have developed so they can express certain thoughts and emotions without wasting valuable time typing them out. Emoticons are a very clever use of standard punctuation marks to express a human emotion. Here's how they work. Suppose you're typing a statement such as: I am feeling happy The problem with this is, the reader cannot be absolutely, 100 percent sure what emotion you're feeling when you type this. So at the end of the sentence, you type a colon (:) followed by a closing parentheses ()). Now your sentence looks like this: I am feeling happy :) See the difference? Basic Smileys ------------- :-) Your basic smiley. This smiley is used to inflect a sarcastic or joking statement since we can't hear voice inflection over e-mail. ;-) Winky smiley. User just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. More of a "don't hit me for what I just said" smiley. :-( Frowning smiley. User did not like that last statement or is upset or depressed about something. :-I Indifferent smiley. Better than a :-( but not quite as good as a :-). :-> User just made a really biting sarcastic remark. Worse than a ;-). >:-> User just made a really devilish remark. >;-> Winky and devil combined. A very lewd remark was just made. Widely used Smileys ------------------- (-: User is left handed. %-) User has been staring at a green screen for 15 hours straight. :*) User is drunk. [:] User is a robot. 8-) User is wearing sunglasses. B:-) Sunglasses on head. ::-) User wears normal glasses. B-) User wears horn-rimmed glasses. 8:-) User is a little girl. :-)-8 User is a Big girl. :-{) User has a mustache. :-{ 2 User wears lipstick. {:-) User wears a toupee. }:-( Toupee in an updraft. :-[ User is a vampire. :-E Bucktoothed vampire. :-F Bucktoothed vampire with one tooth missing. :-7 User juust made a wry statement. :-* User just ate something sour. :-)~ User drools. :-~) User has a cold. :'-( User is crying. :'-) User is so happy, s/he is crying. :-@ User is screaming. :-# User wears braces. :^) User has a broken nose. :v) User has a broken nose, but it's the other way. :_) User's nose is sliding off of his face. :<) User is from an Ivy League School. :-& User is tongue tied. =:-) User is a hosehead. -:-) User is a punk rocker. -:-( Real punk rockers don't smile. :=) User has two noses. +-:-) User is the Pope or holds some other religious office. `:-) User shaved one of his eyebrows off this morning. ,:-) Same thing...other side. |-I User is asleep. |-O User is yawning/snoring. :-Q User is a smoker. :-? User smokes a pipe. O-) Megaton Man On Patrol! (or else, user is a scuba diver) O :-) User is an angel (at heart, at least). :-` User spitting out its chewing tobacco. :-S User just made an incoherent statement. :-D User is laughing (at you!) :-X User's lips are sealed. :-C User is really bummed. <|-) User is Chinese. <|-( User is Chinese and doesn't like these kind of jokes. :-/ User is skeptical. C=:-) User is a chef. @= User is pro-nuclear war. *<:-) User is wearing a Santa Claus Hat. :-o Uh oh! \ (8-o It's Mr. Bill! *:o) And Bozo the Clown! 3:] Pet smiley. 3:[ Mean Pet smiley. d8= Your pet beaver is wearing goggles and a hard hat. E-:-) User is a Ham radio operator. :-9 User is licking his/her lips. %-6 User is braindead. [:-) User is wearing a walkman. (:I User is an egghead. <:-I User is a dunce. K:P User is a little kid with a propeller beenie. @:-) User is wearing a turban. :-0 No Yelling! (Quiet Lab) :-: Mutant smiley; the invisible smiley. .-) User only has one eye. ,-) Ditto...but he's winking. X-( User just died. 8 :-) User is a wizard. -=* :-) User is a TeX wizard. Midget Smileys -------------- :) Midget smiley. :] Gleep...a friendly midget smiley who will gladly be your friend. =) Variation on a theme... :} What should we call these? (what?) :) Happy. :> What? :@ What? :D Laughter. :I Hmmm... :( Sad. :[ Real Downer. :< What? :{ What? :O Yelling. :C What? :Q What? :,( Crying. [] Hugs and ... :* Kisses. |I Asleep. ^o Snoring. Mega Smileys ------------ C= 2>;*{)) A drunk, devilish chef with a toupee in an updraft, a mustache, and a double chin. }:^#}) Updrafted bushy-mustached pointy nosed smiley with a double-chin. Usenet Smileys -------------- ~~:-( Net.flame O |-) Net.religion 8 :-I Net.unix-wizards X-( Net.suicide E-:-I Net.ham-radio Emotional Smileys ---------------- :-) ha ha |-) hee hee |-D ho ho :-> hey hey :-( boo hoo :-I hmmm :-O oops :-P nyahhhh!