How to Write Emoticons

The revolution of text communication has resulted in a lack of expression that one would experience in face-to-face or voice-to-voice interactions. The lack of expression has given way to many makeshift communication techniques so that the sender and receiver of text conversation can be more personal. One of the new techniques involves "emoticons." Emoticons are expressions made from basic key functions on a number pad of a phone or keys of a computer. Emoticons traditionally express a facial emotion; however, other expressions can develop over time through experimentation and creativity.

Things You'll Need

• Mobile phone and/or computer

Instructions

1. Connect with your online communication, such as email or instant messenger and/or mobile texting service. For mobile phones, the texting service is usually listed under "SMS," which is stands for "Short Message Service."

2. Designate a sender for your message. The designated sender will usually be an email address or screen name online, or a mobile number if you are using a cell phone.

3. Type your message using standard text. At any point in the text where you want to express an emotion, type the punctuation/letter combination to create the desired emotion. The most common emotions are "smiling/frowning" faces. These basic emoticons are created by a colon for the "eyes," a dash for the "nose" and finally an open or closed parenthesis to make a frowning or smiling face, respectively.

4. Send your message to the designated receiver. Experiment with emoticons to express your own personal style and creativity, for example,

   Simple, more traditional emoticons:
   Smiles: :-) :o) :) ;)
   Winks: ;-) ;o) ;)
   Frowns: :-( :o( :(
   Sticking out tongue: :-P :oP :P

   More unique emoticon expressions:
   Add hair: ~:-) (curls) =:-) (spikes) <:-) (mohawk)
   Heart: <3
   Face with glasses: B-)
   Crying face: :'(
   Shocked face: :-0
   Mad face: x-(
   Very happy face: :-D

   The possibilities with emoticons are endless. Use your imagination and impress your friends.

Tips & Warnings

• Similar to expressions and phrases, overuse leads to ineffectiveness. Be expressive with your emoticons, but do not overload the recipient of the message with expression through text.

• While emoticons are widely used in private text communication, such expression is not usually accepted in the professional setting. To be safe, avoid using emoticons in the workplace. Even if your superiors use emoticons, avoid the habit for best practice.

Resources

• Windweaver.com: Recommended Emoticons for Email Communication
• Petting-zoo.net: Asian "emoticons"