To my knowledge*, they did not.
*Sadly, this knowledge is greater than it ought to be. I spent much of 93-97 in IRC chats. I once dated someone I met through IRC, but that is my secret shame.
Even sadder, I apparently reversed size 5 & 6 with size 1 & 2. :smack:
I can tell you from an AOL roleplayer’s perspective that it’s been used for at least ten years. It has no affect on the AOL service, but it distinguishes actions from dialogue.
Example:
::Gawain growled at the thought that Guinevere was nearly murdered by Morgan’s evil prank. Really, who would put cyanide in a milk bottle? He sighed softly as he recalled his boyfriend Arthur, who had run off with his club’s bounce Lancelot last week:: Damn it all! ::He stomped his foot in frustration, throughly angered by his situation::
unless you’re taking the SATs (or maybe the old SATs). For those, :: means “as”. And : meant “is to.”
Thus:
toe: foot :: finger : hand
I guess you could call them stage directions.
<AOL>Me too</AOL>