Happy, sad, or confused? There's an emoticon for that. There's also probably a pillow or bookend to channel those feelings. If you're still not convinced, check out these awesome finds we've rounded up that are not only highly expressive (a disapproving face on a gym bag) but totally fun, too. Go ahead and emote.
While recently searching for an "evil" emoticon (don't ask), I stumbled on an unlikely resource. Or, rather, the resource is pretty popular, but I hadn't thought about it until now. Worth checking out: the emoticon Wikipedia page. With a full list of emoticons ranging from basic smiles to more complex faces like a backwards baseball cap — d:-) — the page is a great resource for creative digital expression.
Emoticon listings are even broken down into eastern and western, listing all sorts of interesting emoticons I had no idea existed. (I'm particularly partial to this "not amused" emoticon: (*_*), and plan to use it often.) Check them out for yourself on Wikipedia, and happy emoting!
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong is having a busy week. He crashed during stage five of the Tour of California and also defended himself against allegations of drug use during the Tour de France. On a bit more optimistic note, Lance's new commercials for Radio Shack — the cycling team he rides for — came out this week. In the spots, Lance gives some lessons on cell phone etiquette, which include: "No man over the age of 30 will ever use emoticons — no colon parentheses smiley faces . . ."
The spots are super funny so it's no surprise that Christopher Guest of Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show fame directed them. See what Lance has to say about voice mails in the second commercial when you read more
I know I've mentioned my avoid-unless-necessary feelings on emoticons several times, not to mention calling a guy out over his emoticon use (to which most of you responded my friend should chill out).
You loved this emoticon shower curtain; do you feel the same way about these emoticon magnets ($15)? They're 2.5 inches in diameter, so they'll definitely make a statement on the fridge. What do you think?
I was out with a group of girlfriends last week when one of them received a text from a guy she'd gone on a few dates with. It read, "Great time last night ;)" — with the winking emoticon. Apparently after every single text he sends (and sometimes midtext, too), he includes an emoticon.
One of our friends thinks he's just being friendly, but another is convinced he's downright weird. And the friend-in question is not sure whether to accept his request to go on another date. "It's too weird!" she says. "I'm not sure what he's trying to do, but it's sort of creeping me out."
I've covered a few text-etiquette rules, like if it's appropriate to get out of a date via text and how to decode post-date texts and IMs, but what about the little day-to-day exchanges you tend to have with a potential love interest? What do all of those smiley faces mean? For more of my emoticon advice, read more
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Had I found this a week ago, this Text Talk Shower Curtain so would have been leading the geeky bathroom guide.
$15 from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, the shower curtain's little faces express happiness, distress, silliness . . .the same way you do over text and IM. My feelings about the curtain skew toward how I feel about emoticons in general: avoid unless necessary.
However, this could be the perfect bath time accessory for the texting addict. What do you think?
I have such a love-hate relationship with emoticons. On the one hand, they're harmless little icons that add a bit of cuteness, and on the other hand, they're tools of passive aggressive communication.
Overly dramatic? Well, have you ever gotten a negative or critical sounding IM from a colleague or friend. . . punctuated with a happy face? Sometimes people use them to take the weight off of a potentially negative message, but in my experience, it almost always backfires and makes the message seem even worse, like you're smugly smirking when you're saying it.
My advice for using emoticons is to only use them if they fit the tone you're already using. Don't use them to change your tone, because it probably will — but not in the way you want it to.
Think I take emoticons too seriously? I'm not the only one — there have been studies that show that emoticons mean different things to different cultures.
