| The very nature of communicating
on the Internet allows people to express thoughts and feelings with an
openness and frankness unusual in face to face or phone conversations. The
trouble is that on-line conversations are really a cross between a
letter and a phone call. The potential for misunderstandings, without the
tone and expression of a voice, or signals given out by body language, are
considerable. Email, newsgroups, the 'Net' - all rely on the written word -
and the written word is so easy to misinterpret (ask lawyer$!).
As a result of this, a shorthand version of expressing moods has emerged on the Net and together with certain behavioural rules form netiquette. The shorthand for moods uses standard (QWERTY) keyboard symbols and they are known as emoticons aka 'smileys'.
There seems to be a never ending supply of these, and they can get rather irritating at times. Applied properly, however, they serve a useful purpose. |
