Do You Consider Smilies?

[9-2-2]

Generally, when you read a post, do you pay any attention to the smilies in said post? Or do you ignore them?

Let's have a little bit of an example here...

Example 1

It's cloudy today. :mad: I'm not going out in that weather for anything. Why can't it be sunny, like the rest of the year? :grrrrr:

Example 2

It's cloudy today. :( I'm not going out in that weather for anything. :shaker: Why can't it be sunny, like the rest of the year? :dis:

Bandwidth-Destroying Example 3

It's :woah: cloudy :moped: today. :jumprope: I'm :tub: not :thewave: going :deviltail out :bumpsmili into :bangyourh that :bat: weather :rollingla for :uzi: anything. :vanish: Why :heybaby: can't :loveduv: it :devil: be :yayhawaii sunny, :cutesanta like :clapping: the :shaker: rest :fpartay: of :collapse: the :wah: year? :javaswim:

[Aidron]

I consider them. They convey clarity of tone and emotion when it might often be confused otherwise. I, however, use them sparingly. I prefer to challenge myself by conveying my precise point with words.

[Sun_and_Saturn]

I think it depends on the "tone" of the post, too. Although it is kinda hard to determine how people mean things when it is typed in a forum because we can't see facial expressions and hear tone of voice. I think that sometimes the smilies can help convey the meaning. Or they can be a "disclaimer", as in "I know you'll find this offensive, but I'm going to put a smilie here to cover my @ss with the mods". It also depends on how much time I have to be on the internet as to whether I will bother hunting for a particular smilie.

[MoonDust]

I chose example 2. And smiles are fun!

[CryingEagle]

I love using smilies.
Not only to they convey emotion, but they give the post a bit of personality.
:flowers: This one here is my favorite. I think I have used it in every post that I have made.
It's cute, and friendly.
For other emotions I have a basket load to pick from! :dancy:

Let's say I'm feeling naughty and playful, these might be good ones to use: :evilway: :deviltail :devil: _firedevil .

[Flaire-FireStar]

I use them to convey emotions, but use them sparingly. Excess of them just drives me batty.

[Aidron]

I use them to convey emotions, but use them sparingly. Excess of them just drives me batty.


:bat:

This message brought you by the Conspiracy to Drive Flaire Insane, inc.

[jetzige]

I put other because whether I like them or not depends on my mood and the messege of the person is using them.

[Ninjakitten]

Yes, for both yes reasons, but I put "convey emotions" because that's the main reason I read them.

[Flaire-FireStar]

:bat:

This message brought you by the Conspiracy to Drive Flaire Insane, inc.

Uh...Now add 107868 more onto that and you'll have succeeded.

[Ninjakitten]

:rubhead: :whistle: :ringaroun :dis: :jamsessio :G :crystalba :foopsies: :wth: _pounce_ :fpoke: :abadpoker :whatmewor :hutone: :bouncingb :fpipesmok :boquet: :welcome: :achug: :fofftopic :smoke: :dinnertim :strike: :spaceman: :shhhh: :fpompoms :nonono: :hailmol: :stomp: :bastard: :fprtyman2 :geez:

[Flaire-FireStar]

^
There yah go. :goodgrief

[Aidron]

^
There yah go. :goodgrief


Indeed. :eyebrow:

[FaerieLuma]

I love them. When they're used you can see a little bit what mood the poster is in. Otherwise it can be a little confusing:
That's so silly:hehehehe:
That's so silly:rolleyes:
That's so silly_tsk_
That's so silly:abored:
That's so silly:yourock:
That's so silly:mad:

In other words, they help you find the real sense of what's being said...

[Jenne]

I try to use them more like eccentric punctuation, but I do like them. :)

[gwendar]

I picked the secod option (for conveying emotions), but I do think they can be fun, as well.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
Now I'm just being a bit of an ass.........:D

[Sowelu]

They add character!

I like em'!

One smiley can sometimes speak many words thus saving oneself from typing many words...especially now...when I am tired...and not making much sense...:geez:
:tongueout

[CoolJ]

I used to love them but I only use the :) and such smilies now because I can't be arsed to remember or click through to find others.... oh and :boing: I remember... :bong:

[SilentDreams]

As a person who has been taken the wrong way with a post that was missing a smiley to convey my happy tone I do use them. I also like when others use them cause following what I said before, sometimes people cannot always get the right tone of what someone is saying, its just text after all. So the smilies help us get a better sense of how the person is trying to come across. Now do I think smilies need to be in every post? No. But with ones where jokes or sarcasm are being used I think they have a need for smilies.

[Brónach Druid]

I love smilies!!!! I do think they help to convey emotion. But mostly I just think they are fun. :smile:

[BlackMagicalCat]

I like smiles and pictures,I always use them

[farm girl]

Smilies add personality and can sometime help add emotion to a post. Other times, they are just fun and make me smile.

[bbnflpn]

i some times use them, not all the time, and i like to see the creative use of them. i think they are great fun and this site has a bunch.

[SkyClad]

ARRRGH! I HATE THEM!

I believe that THIS smilie best illustrated my contempt...

:fpcsucks

[argento_occhi]

I'll use them if I want to make sure it's clear that what I'm saying isn't serious, so I suppose you could say I use them to convey emotion. I don't like using them much actually, and I'm not a fan of excessive emoticon usage. It only serves to annoy me.

Argent

[Philosophia]

I choose "Chihuahuas" because I think they're cute.
The smilies don't really bother me but sometimes their useful to show a physical emotion when words cannot suffice.

[Kailen]

I consider them. They convey clarity of tone and emotion when it might often be confused otherwise. I, however, use them sparingly. I prefer to challenge myself by conveying my precise point with words.

That's mostly my feelings, though sometimes I think they're used for the hell of using them rather than to convey an emotion/point/tone etc...I prefer things to be done with words than smileys but they aren't annoying. Basically I couldn't give a [Place 4 Letter Expletive Of Choice Here] less.

I voted chihuahuas for the hell of it.

[Flar's Freyja]

I answered Chihuahuas because that's what Flar would have said;) One of his favorite dogs was a Chihuahua.

We pronounced it phonetically. :lol:

[evilslinkycat]

Chihuahuas!

:thumbsup:

[Malcolm]

Chihuahuas!

:thumbsup:


Me too.

:aburst: although this one is funny

[Sequoia]

Yup, I use smilies. Usually to try to help assert what tone I'm using. Sometimes just because they're fun!

[Pure Ahimsa]

I should of voted Chihuahuas, damnit.

[mothwench]

I love them. When they're used you can see a little bit what mood the poster is in. Otherwise it can be a little confusing:
That's so silly:hehehehe:
That's so silly:rolleyes:
That's so silly_tsk_
That's so silly:abored:
That's so silly:yourock:
That's so silly:mad:

In other words, they help you find the real sense of what's being said...
exactly. smilies make the tone of the post. :)

[Karma Chameleon]

Generally, when you read a post, do you pay any attention to the smilies in said post? Or do you ignore them?

I always pay attention to the smileys...unless there's way too many then I don't even try to read the post.

[Infinite Grey]

I usually only use them if the person I'm talking to does, or only at the end... though in my typical style I break these rules if I'm in the mood _taparoo_

[donatello51]

I use them becuase it has been my experience from years on the net that whatever I say on any subject is taken many times as total truth... total fact.. and the word of god. I have pissed off many folks to the point of if I were there interfacing with them in their room they would fight with me. I only state my opinions. Not the LAW. Not the final word of god. I therfore have to soften whatever I say with a smiley. It also gives an idea of my emotions and state of mind. It not easy going through life being misunderstodd. But its a fact of life. and I adapt to life in all its forms. :hehehehe: I do use them sparingly so as to not be seen as a nut or as someone annoying just becuase of a smiley fetish. _tsk_

[wolf]

Used sparingly, smilies are a good thing.

They can underline a point, or add a touch of humor to a post.

Overuse, however, quickly leads to them becoming very annoying.

[LyraDragonStar]

I love using smileys! I think they are so fun, and a great idea. Sometimes, I have issues trying to figure out what someone means, so the smileys help 'convey emotions'. What's there not to love? I even have quite a few memorized. :alol:

[Fallen Angel]

Always as mentioned by someone else -is too lazy to look back and see who sorry- they can help to assertain whether or not the person is saying things in jest or seriously Like my sister and her friends call each other B**ch and unless you saw their smiles you would assume it was meant as an insult They say it so seriously sometimes. Like her friend rang me and said 'hey B**ch why din't you ring me' and hung up I was dead angry but they do it to each other and laugh. -wishes there were smilies on phones- Yeah I digress where was I going with this?

[~DarkDolphyn~]

I like using smileys to convey emotion, or context of posts. Like some have said, things can be easily misunderstood when ones tone of voice and mood when writing can not be deciphered. Smileys help us do that. I Also use them to be silly at times, when I'm trying to get a sense of humour into what I'm saying. Like if I am goodnaturedly teasing someone I will use this smiley :smash: to say that I think the poster is being silly. (I actually was looking for one another forum had of one smiley hitting the other over the head with a hammer, but this will do, lol)
My posts would probably get me into alot of trouble if it weren't for smileys, as sometimes I mean to say something in a certain way, but posted alone, it could be taken out of context, the smiley I post with it helps show the tone in which I "said" it in. I hope this made some sense to someone, lol.

[SacredWithin]

I love smilies not only b/c they help me to convey my messages but because sometimes they can be :spaceman: :hehehehe: :elf:

[Pagan's Sword]

Can anybody help a newbie find the Mood thingies? Your help will be greatly appreciated. :toofless:

[~Audra~]

i'm sorry...i just had to click on chihuahuas...

but i really think that smilies are good ways of conveying emotions...to me, anyway..

i hate when they use the :( one...makes me want to give out free hugs...breaks my heart, lol...seriously

but i think we need a nodding one that isn't smiling...not all affirmative things are positive affirmations

[nannymouse]

Yes.
I consider smilies.

[~*Midnight Flame*~]

Yes, I do consider them...great way to convey a feeling/emotion, without really having to say anything.:thumbsup: