Do you use lol’s and/or smiley faces when texting or messaging others? The reason I ask is that I used to hate seeing them or using them. But over the years, it’s become so common that I now don’t mind them and actually use them pretty frequently.
Poll to follow…
I just don’t like LOL. If I’m actually laughing, I’m usually appreciative enough to use words. And if it’s just a chuckle, a slightly bigger than normal smiley will do.
It’s used so often as a response to anything even marginally funny that they had to invent LLOL to denote a real laugh.
Before I stopped using LOL, I actually once had to up the ante to ROFLMAO to mean I was actually laughing.
(It’s a combination of Rolling On the Floor Laughing and Laughing My Ass Off.)
I use emoticons on rare occasions and always of the typed variety (I’ll use [noparse]:)[/noparse] rather than inserting a 
into an email, text or post.
I never type “LOL” or any varient thereof, but will occasionally type some onomotopoeia for laughter (generally “heh heh heh”) and will always say something besides just laughing (even if it’s just “good one” or “I’ll have to remember that one” or similar.) Posts that just say “LOL” look silly.
I don’t dislike people who use either, though overuse of either tends to strike me as really funny, especially when paired with little or bad capitalization or punctuation or otherwise bad writing.
I hate LOL as a demonstration of me finding something funny, particularly since most of the time when people type lol they’re not actually laughing out loud. That said, I will use it as part of ironic use of gaming vernacular, particularly in a construction like “lol@u”–and I generally hate the usage of u for you as well–when someone screws up in a funny way, sort of the equivalent of PALATR. I really only use any of that sort of that thing when I’m engaging in the whole idea of nerd rage or whatever, where I’m exaggerating my responses and my friends are aware I’m doing it ironically.
I also dislike emoticons as I feel that my emotions ought to generally be pretty clear when I’m typing something out. Unfortunately, I had to get into the habit when I was dating a girl who wasn’t a native speaker and, as a result, often missed out on my sarcasim or figures of speech. I could usually catch it when she started reacting in person or on the phone, but not so when written. I eventually figured out that I could use an emoticon in an e-mail or text, she would know I wasn’t being insulting or it was a joke or a figure of speech and she would be much less likely to react negatively and more likely to ask me what I meant. Ever since then, I’ve just never broken it and will still end up using them when talking to women I’ve met since just to be on the safe side.
I use emoticons sparingly, but will use LOL to indicate I am amused, to indicate I am in a good mood, or B) to indicate I think something is cool or along those lines. Of course, I don’t pepper my conversations with smilies. I think they are most effective when used moderately.
I hate that word. Always get this stuck in my head.
I use both occasionally, but not every message is filled with them.
As I have mentioned in my “Email Signatures” thread, my quip signature takes care of that:
~ (Gasp) Oy Caramba, I forgot to put smiley winky thingy… ~
.
Sometimes I put LOL even though I’m not laughing…just to make the text sound less tense…
Hate LOL. Looks stupid. So many other existing ways to say something is funny, why did someone have to invent a new one. I had one guy on our internal chat system who used to use LOL waaaayy too much. I cured him of it by telling him things like “I don’t hear you laughing” and “You sound like a braindead AOLer.”
Smilies are fine by me. Don’t understand the utter rage they induce in some people…
I don’t use LOL, but I use smileys all the time, because my dry sense of humour doesn’t translate well in writing.
There I go demonstrating why I don’t use smilies more often. I use a lot of parentheses, and always manage to screw it up when there’s a [noparse]:)[/noparse] floating around.
I don’t think I’ve used a smilie here in years. They displease me. And I *never *‘lol.’
That said, on occasion if I think my humor is going to go over someone’s head, sometimes I’ll break down and throw in a – but that’s the only one I’ll use, damnit, and only for damage control.
I never say lol either, and people have tried to get me to. It just doesn’t convey anything anymore to me. Smiley faces, in e-mails, but I have no idea how to get a smiley face on my phone, so I don’t use it.
A bit of a sidetrack, but does anyone still <g>?
Something Else. If an internet funny actually induces vocalization, I’ll use “Laf” as a direct replacement for LOL. Otherwise, I’ll limit the response to “Smile.”
As for Smilies, I don’t like them, but realize they can serve a useful function in fast communications. Usually I’ll go old-school and insert a :^)
Yeah, emoticons now qualify as quaint.
(I guess I’ll stop lurking and participate)
I don’t think emoticons in general, and lol in particular convey enough information, so I’ll often use <grin>, <chuckle>, <sarcasm></sarcasm> and other pseudo html.
That said, if I actual am laughing out loud, I’ll use LOL.
I never use them. I voted that I don’t mind when others do, but it can get out of control.