Emoticons ResultsAbout Emoticons Emoticons Fact: There are even special emoticons for holidays. For example, *<|: o )> gives you Santa Claus, complete with his hat with the fur ball on it, his round nose, grin and beard. Another way to represent the jolly one: sntAclws. 

Emoticons

 Did You Mean "Emoticons" as in...

 Lists of basic emoticons Lists of basic emoticons
 Lists of fun & funky emoticons Lists of fun & funky emoticons
 The history of emoticons The history of emoticons
 When & why to use emoticons When & why to use emoticons
 

Lists of basic emoticons "Lists of basic emoticons"


The emoticons you really must know - From the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Extended Guide to the Internet, a list of the seven emoticons you absolutely must know to understand what's going on in e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, bulletin boards, newsgroups -- in short, on the Internet in general.

PCWorld's list of basic emoticons - From the respected magazine PCWorld, another list of basic emoticons. Although you may never need to know that 5:) means Elvis ...

A very extensive list of emoticons - Ignore all the ads on this site, because this is the longest list of emoticons I've ever seen. Emoticons are arranged alphabeticallly, with more than two screens of emoticons for words that start with an "A." To see emoticons for other letters, click the letters/links at the bottom of the webpage.

A list of the basic emoticons, plus some - The emoticon list here covers most of the basic emoticons you'll see and adds some more for fun. A word of warning: once you get past the first three or four, these emoticons aren't very well known. You might need to explain what they mean!

Lists of fun & funky emoticons "Lists of fun & funky emoticons"


Fun emoticons from Dave Barry - This list was written by humorist Dave Barry, so of course you'll laugh. You probably won't ever use the entertaining emoticons on this list,but isn't it great to know an emoticon for someone who has a fish for a nose? (But skip the Emoticon Gallery; it's neither funny or useful.)

Fun emoticons form PCWorld - Another list from PCWorld, lots of fun and probably more useful than Barry's list. It's possible you could need an symbol for someone with a bad toupee, or even for a buck-toothed vampire.

Fun emoticons from Symbols.net - The wallpaper on this site is a bit busy to say the least, but the list of fun emoticons is wonderful. My favorite is //o-o\ -- which is the emoticon for John Lennon, of course!

Fun emoticons from the High-Tech Dictionary - A long but nicely presented list of emoticons from the Computer User High-Tech Dictionary.

More fun emoticons - Nice, long list that includes how to indicate that you just died. See if you can stump your friends!

The history of emoticons "The history of emoticons"


The 1970s smiley face - Some trace the history of the emoticon to 1972 and the introduction of the original Smiley Face. This site starts there and goes on to discuss emoticons based on that familiar symbol. (The smiley font here is cute, but remember both you and the person you send your message to must install it.)

The original online smiley - In September of 2002, intense effort was devoted to finding the first emoticon used online. Finally, it was located, and a copy of that first message featuring a smiley appears here.

From the originator - An explanatory page from Scott E. Fahlman, the first person to use an emoticon online. If you're online a lot, you'll probably find this fascinating. And be sure to follow some of Scott's newslinks at the bottom of the page to see what the media had to say about the importance of :-).

Or maybe it was Mackenzie - Or maybe Scott didn't use the first emoticon. Maybe it was Kevin Mackenzie in 1979.

When & why to use emoticons "When & why to use emoticons"


Why emoticons are useful - This site does a great job of explaining why we need emoticons. It's part of an online course by Thomasville City Schools in Thomasville, Georgia. Even though it's part of the "assignment," please don't send the instructor any messages; this website dates from 1997!

Why emoticons are useful, Part II - This website was created for kids, but it does a great job of explaining why we need emoticons to help convey emotion online. It also explains how to "see" the emotion represented in several of the more common symbols.

Advice from PCWorld - The fourth paragraph of this article gives some great advice: Don't use emoticons on your job application! More good information here too.

This ResultsAbout Emoticons Page is maintained by Jamie Christenbury
About Us | User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy | Help
Copyright  © 2003 About, Inc. About and About.com are registered trademarks of About, Inc. The About logo is a trademark of About, Inc. All rights reserved.