The Other*Worlds*Cafe: Chats: Emoticons

CHATS EMOTICONS

Just in case you still don't know what :) means....

Chatting with each other via text on a screen has a few limitations: You can't hear tone of voice or see body language, and typing is slower than talking. (On the other hand, it's not considered gauche to chat in your underwear, which does tend to get you talked about in face-to-face encounters.) To help clarify and express emotions, many chatters use emoticons, or characters which represent a facial expression. They also use acronyms for commonly-used phrases. The ones most often seen in the O*W*C are below. If you see a symbol you don't understand, just ask. Someone will be happy to explain.

:) Smile

:D Smile/laughing/big grin

:* Kiss

;) Wink

:X My lips are sealed/Not speaking

{ } A hug (the more brackets, the more affectionate and bigger the hug)

:o Mild surprise ("uh oh!")

=:o Greater surprise (the longer the "hair," the greater the surprise)

:( Frown/sad face

:/ Disappointment, chagrin, or skepticism

>:( Anger or annoyance

:P Sticking out tongue

:pppPppPPpPPP!!! Raspberry

Noses are sometimes added to the faces with the - or the ^. For example, :-) or :^)

o/~ A musical note (often used to show song lyrics)

:::action::: Performing that action (ex: :::kissing Mickey:::)

<-- An arrow, referring to item, often used to refer to self.

::poof:: Signing off

wrd=word A correction to a misspelled word that was previously typed

<G> Big Grin

<g> Little Grin

A/S/L Age/Sex/Location. A request to have all of the chatters give their age, gender, and location. This is actively discouraged in the O*W*C. See our Etiquette page for more details.

AFAIK As Far As I Know

AFK Away From Keyboard

BAK Back At Keyboard

BRB Be Right Back

BTW By The Way

FWIW For What It's Worth

GMTA Great Minds Think Alike

IMHO In My Humble Opinion

J/K Just Kidding

LOL Laughing Out Loud

LTNS Long Time No See

ROFL Rolling On Floor Laughing

TIA Thanks In Advance

WB Welcome Back

Re's or Rehi! Hello again!

Pictures: Some members have become creative and found ways of creating recognizable visual representations with plain text. These are acceptable in moderation.

c[_] Cup of coffee or hot chocolate

c{_} Mug of beer or ale

Y Glass of wine

@@@@@ Cinnamon buns

|> |> |> |> |> Pizza slices or pieces of cake

ii i i ii iii Candles

--`-,--`,--@ A rose

<:>== Squid! (You'll probably encounter lots of these)