Do you like smilies?

[Yankee]

Hi everyone

What are your opinions about using smilies (emoticons) in the forum? Do you use them or not? Do you wish there were more forum smilies, fewer forum smilies or none at all? Why?

Are smilies easy to understand or do they tend to be misunderstood?

Who invented smilies anyway? Does anyone know?

Amy

[Fan Of Arabian Horses]

Hi Amy!

Seriously, I like the smilies. Unfortunately I?m not really sure that they always express the same to all of us. In other words: it?s an issue of experiencing its meaning for each of us members, isn?t it?

Michael

[Tamara]

[Tamara]

But now... Do you consider, for example, this as a smiley?


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[Yankee]

Hi Michael

Did you intend your smiley to show that you were confused? That's the description of that particular smiley, anyway...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Tamara

Yes, as a matter of fact your last smiley does look like a smiley. It's just that there are added features and gizmos and an extraterrestrial sort of action. Does that extravagant smiley say anything to you?

Amy

[Prezbucky]

Tamara

Your Smiley is a future inmate of a mental facility, in that nobody will believe it when it proclaims its alien abduction.
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[Tamara]

Hi

[Pamela]

Hi Amy,
I like smilies and use them almost in all my posts Sometimes they are difficult to understand, sometimes not. For example, Tamara's smiley is not so expressive. I can only assume. I wish there on the forum were more of them .The choice of emoticons is not so vast here.
P.S. My mobile phone includes some smilies where one and the same smiley can express different emotions

[Tamara]

The forum’s set of smilies is quite limited, but to me it’s enough (taking into account that this is an English language learning forum. )

Maybe, sometimes (often ) I need this one


It means 'to play a child' or 'to tomfool'
But, of course, it’s just a matter of habit.

For other special occasions I can easily find on the Internet lots of other smilies.

Generally speaking, each forum community use its own regular set of smilies and their meanings (language learnt ) gradually become well-understood by all members.
As a matter of their actual local use.
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[FangFang]

Hi,all
Long time no see! Anyway, I am glad to come back sometimes if free. I must be one of those people who use icons frequently in their posts. That's quite funny ,isn't it? Well, somebody must say it childish, but I am not good at playing words , so it becomes my "second choice"
Who invented smiles? I think you invented it ! When you were a little baby you knew how to smile without any imitation. Yeah, it is true. A baby can do it quite well, their smiles come from the nature. Can you explain why they smile at a stranger though he said nothing and did nothing ? Nobody asked and taught them to do that.
I wonder if the smiling activity is aroused by our consciousnesses in deep minds, ohhh,it is hard to give a conclusion , because if it is so that means a baby has had its consciousness at a very very early age. But now some people are still arguing about this topic. Anyway, I have great patience to hear their final conclusions.

[Fan Of Arabian Horses]

[Torsten]

Hi Michael, please check the meaning of the verb assume (assumption is the noun). Also, you might want to try to keep your sentences simpler using phrases you know are right. Please, let me know what you think.

Regards,
Torsten
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[Fan Of Arabian Horses]

[Torsten]

Hi Michael, what I was trying to say is that it is always good if you use word combinations and expressions that you have seen before. When you start creating your own phrases, you run the risk of 'sounding strange'. For example, the expression 'to be overbeared' does not exist, you probably mean 'to be overwhelmed'?
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[Alan]

Hi,

Personally I can't stand the wretched things - I'm talking about these oddly named emoticons - I ask you! I think if ever I start using them, then is the time for those two white overalled people to come and take me away. And I bet you can't guess what expression I have on my face while I'm writing this! Well, that's not my problem.

A
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