QuakerInfo.com Forum

[Kiahanie]

The subject of emoticons came up in another thread. I do take note that there are two divergent opinions already expressed, and mine probably makes a third. I notice few people on this board use them, and I was curious how other folks regard emoticons.

I rarely use them. I find the yellow-faced critters to be without nuance, abetting misunderstanding rather than clarity, confusion rather than ambiguity. Coming late to electronic expression, that may be my own problem rather than a problem with the medium. I tend to rely written words to express both thought and tone. Sometimes I miss.

Emoticons often seem out of sync with the thoughts expressed by preceding words, and I find it difficult to decode the sense of the statement as a whole. On other boards I have noticed them appended to insulting or hurtful or denigrating sentences, as if somehow a colorful arrangement of pixels could mitigate the clear meaning of the written word, or reveal the author's meaning to be other than that expressed in words, or to explain that the writer's attitude is not as hostile as the words suggest.

I don't generally mind emoticons being used -I just regard them as pixel arrangements without meaning, and deal with the words. If the author is attempting to add meaning using elaborately composed punctuation marks, it is lost on me.

I find them most useful as a stand-alone post responding to someone else:
<I found a job! >
< >

<My cat has diarrhea.>
< >

<joke post>
< >

<Jonah was not stranded on the Isle of Patmos.>
< >

etc.

What do others think?
_________________
"There is a field out beyond right and wrong. I'll meet you there." --Jellaludin Rumi

[Anthony]

Friend Kiahanie

Thank you for your well considered comments, they have given me some things to reconsider as I can agree in part. I knew they were called other than 'smileys' but I couldn't remember what it was - Emoticons - yes,

[Dan]

Well, an "old dog" learned "new tricks" today. Thank thee for the interesting education. emoticons, eh? Another word to add to my vocaublary which is very limited anyway.

When I think of all the new words that have been added to our vocabulary in my life time going back to such things as: tape player, calculator, vcr, mircrowave, etc. etc. Not to mention all these, what do you call them? Acronyms?? that people use when texting and it spills over into their computer writing which leave me trying to figure out what in the world they're trying to say.

Thanks again for educating me.

Thy Friend,
Dan

[kevin roberts]

i almost never use them. i'm much more comfortable working with text and the nuances available with it

but interestingly, i use images a great deal when i communicate in a written online medium. not so much here, but elsewhere they fill a role for me that other people use emoticons for.

if you know what i mean

[Anthony]

Love the dog Kevin