# Do You put Smiley's in your emails? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758 "2002-03-29T15:54:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/1 "2002-03-29T15:54:46Z")
I’m just curious if other people do this. I pretty much always have to add a or a\*:-)\* or a _;-D_ to almost every email I send. It just adds that little extra point that I’m trying to get accross - be it something funny or cute or whatever. I guess I never really thought about the people who don’t chat or read message boards and what they think. Do you guys do this?😃 ---
**Author:** ![pezpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@pezpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pezpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/2 "2002-03-29T16:07:08Z")
I do it a lot. I hate the fact that I do it but I can’t stop. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/3 "2002-03-29T16:08:15Z")
I tried once and the person didn’t get it. It took me 15 minutes to explain to them to turn their head sideways and how the ) is the mouth etc etc. Anywhoo I dont put emoticons in anymore. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/4 "2002-03-29T16:15:50Z")
It’s worse than that. I put them in handwritten letters. No, I don’t draw a smiley face, I put a : and a ) next to each other. THAT, my friend, is sad. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/5 "2002-03-29T16:54:46Z")
I do it all the time. I’m not sure why - I think it’s because my voice is naturally quite high and perky and I try to get the sound of my voice into my letters. Does that make any sense? So where I’d normally write: Hi I write this instead: Hi! 🙂 because that’s how I’d say it (unless I didn’t like the person). And if I don’t, I start worrying that my original “hi” was a bit dismissive, and whether the other person will get offended. So whenever I think some extra perkiness is needed, I add the smiley face. It’s a bit of a “thing” with me, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/6 "2002-03-29T16:57:55Z")
Yeah, I do it. Usually only when something could be perceived as serious when it’s really a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/7 "2002-03-29T17:24:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by OpalCat \* > \*\*It’s worse than that. I put them in handwritten letters. No, I don’t draw a smiley face, I put a : and a ) next to each other. > > THAT, my friend, is sad. \*\* OMG, I thought it was only ME!!! What really blew my mind, though, was the first time I did : and ) in Word and it did 🙂 Mike, who’s addicted to smileys 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nefarious_chipmunk/32/1045_2.png) [@Nefarious\_Chipmunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefarious_Chipmunk)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/8 "2002-03-29T17:28:33Z")
I do it because it allows me to put some emotion behind my words. I can be very sarcastic sometimes and if I don’t put a 😉 after something I say feelings have been know to get hurt due to misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/9 "2002-03-29T18:07:04Z")
I try to avoid it, because, although I’ve been known to use them from time to time, I hate them. I think they’re abused more often than used. ---
**Author:** ![rubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@rubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rubes)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/10 "2002-03-29T18:15:49Z")
I will admit to using smilies on occasion, but as has been previously posted, I use them when someone might not be able to tell that I am joking or being sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/11 "2002-03-29T20:50:27Z")
I can’t go through an emial _without_ inserting a smiley or three. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@fish\_in\_the\_sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fish_in_the_sky)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/12 "2002-03-29T23:50:28Z")
I don’t do real smileys too often, but I do a lot of fake action-between-colons things, like ::sigh:: or whatever. I’ll use fake html in creative writing, too. Things like: \excellent\ I’ll even do this when I’m handwriting, which is kind of sad. (I do handwrite smileys right side up, though…) ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/13 "2002-03-30T02:25:46Z")
Sometimes I do, when I’m trying to convey a certain emotion, or when I want to joke around, and I’m afraid the person will take it the wrong way. I generally don’t do it when I’m handwriting stuff, though. Sometimes I will put actions and things in between asterisks, like _thinks to herself about the party_, but I haven’t done any fake HTML coding yet! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/14 "2002-03-30T02:27:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lunatic13 \* > \*\*(I do handwrite smileys right side up, though…) \*\* I **definitely** handwrite smileys right side up! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cougarfang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Cougarfang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cougarfang)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/15 "2002-03-30T04:08:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lunatic13 \* > \*\*I don’t do real smileys too often, but I do a lot of fake action-between-colons things, like ::sigh:: or whatever. > > I’ll use fake html in creative writing, too. Things like: > > \excellent\ > > I’ll even do this when I’m handwriting, which is kind of sad. > > (I do handwrite smileys right side up, though…) \*\* Whoa, me too! I thought I was the only one… Smileys are good! Smileys are fun! Smileys are all over my writing (and typing)! 😛 so there! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/16 "2002-03-30T05:29:22Z")
No I don’t. But I do try to use vb coding in email and in handwritten letters. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/17 "2002-03-30T05:39:39Z")
I’ve never used smilies. Not here, not in e-mail, not in regular mail, not in chat, not ever. They’re just not me. In fact, I wish there were some way to have the “disable smilies in this post” default to ON, since I always check in manually in case one sneaks through somehow. But, tell ya what, just for you guys, here goes, my first smiley: 🙂 …nah, feels weird. I’ll not be doing that again. ---
**Author:** ![AbsolutelyStark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/278dde/32.png) [@AbsolutelyStark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbsolutelyStark)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/18 "2002-03-30T10:39:54Z")
I thought this thread was called “Do you put smileys in your mouth?” It kind of scared me. ---
**Author:** ![Wicked\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@Wicked\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wicked_Blue)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/19 "2002-03-30T14:30:18Z")
I use so many smilies in personal email, chat and message boarding that they’re starting to sneak their way into my job-related writings. Oh well 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2002, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-put-smileys-in-your-emails/100758/20 "2002-03-30T17:52:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Max Torque \* > \*\* > > But, tell ya what, just for you guys, here goes, my first smiley: > > 🙂 > \*\* Actually **Max** you look pretty good with a smiley 🙂