he is an old man
When I taught, I would sometimes do that. Why not? My professors sometimes sent me emails containing such things. As long as it wasn’t a big bright red LOL scrawled at the bottom of an important paper, I was cool with it.
Jesus. You’re a tough case.
I use smilies in e-mails to my professors all the time, and I’ve used them in chat sessions. They’re handy ways to give an emotional cue in an otherwise informal written message.
I bet he’s 30.
PSXer? Wouldn’t surprise me.
I’m 20 and in college
I meant your Prof!
So? He is teaching whippersnappers like you. He presumably knows all about emoticons and knows that they are in common use. It’s not as though he is using them in a research paper.
PSXer: The only 20-year-old college student to be less with the times than his professors.
Sure, if someone were to use a smilie in a formal paper or something, they clearly deserve to be viciously beaten. In emails, though, I wouldn’t find it strange or objectionable (though I wouldn’t do it in an email to someone higher-ranking like a supervisor or professor until they did it first, just in case they thought it was weird or too casual).
Show him your laser disc player. I bet he’ll be so impressed.
I talk about laserdiscs every chance I get but we don’t get much time in class for side conversations 
I taught a college class as an adjunct last spring. I used 'em. 
And I’m practically 50. So there.
Did he use it correctly? The only time I find it odd is when it is not. One guy I know uses it as a sign off, even when he’s really mad about something.
Yeah, when the journals start featuring articles titled “D00d, +#!5 theory iz teh suXX0rz LOL XD” then we can start worrying.
Rather a happy face than an angry one, don’t you think?
>:O
My advisor has two endowed professorships, three books, and lots of journal articles to his name. He uses the smilie with me sometimes.
Really, what is the big deal? I thought *I *was weird about reading things into emails that weren’t there.
Oh SNAP!!! I love you, Diosa – you are my hero.
I think it’s weird.
What does your friend think?