The Comfy Corner

:) This is the standard. This can turn a simple "Okay." into an "Okay, awesome! That sounds really great and I can't wait for it!" But, (and this is true for any emoticon) it can't be used in excess or else it loses its power and becomes insincere. Another rule: never ever try and make a smiley better by adding more parentheses :))))))) That is just stupid.

:D This is a fun one. I used to not be so keen on it, but now it's growing on me. It adds nuance to the standard smiley in a big way. It says "YAY! THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!" without actually saying that.

;) This one can be dangerous. It's kinda like adding "in bed" or "if you know what I mean" to the end of your sentence. This is definitely one that needs to be used sparingly and only if you know the person well enough.

:p The tongue out. A classic signal that you are being sarcastic. This is an important tool in the science of emoticons. Texts and emails fail to have a tone (unless you are a brilliant, careful writer like myself) so this one is vital to let your reader know that you are kidding, but not really kidding, but kidding. You're kidding on the square.

:* A kiss. Also to be used only for those you are very close with.

({}) This one is not very standard, but I think it's funny. It's used on the BlackBerry to represent a hug. But, let's be real. It looks like something else.

'_' I made this one up. It's the emoticon that just saw a ghost. Use sparingly.