Friends and Hugs and Flirtations
On CS we get to play with emoticons.
In real life, our communication includes body language and facial expressions.
With our words, we attempt to convey meaning and intent, but impressions and interpretation are in the control of each individual reader.
The emoticon laugh...
Is this good humor and a laugh with a smile? Or is this sarcastic humor... with more of a sneer? 
This is a singles site... Do you feel you should be careful posting kisses or teddy-bears?
Do you wonder about who might be watching a conversation with another blogger? Whether a disagreement or a 'blog flirt' ... Do you feel you can just be yourself around here?
Do you worry about people misinterpreting your meaning, your intentions, or your sincerity?
Do you have any advice for the rest of us?
Comments (22)
this is one of my faves:
houston, we have a lift offfff
i like ur style
just kidding you
Like yours too
Just be yourself and what happens, happens (?) ... Perhaps the best way...
Jillll - "The side of caution" ... So no dancing banana?
Oh... and this too...
Tange - Yes ... Be expressive!
Voice tone ... THIS CAN CONVEY TONE ... AND THIS!
or perhaps ... all lower-case letters ... and a sigh
Perhaps we can conclude that people who are careful with their words are also careful with their choice of emoticons. That makes sense... more expressive folks might use !!!!!!! or
While someone less expressive... more conservative... perhaps just
I still try to avoid sarcasm so people will be less likely to doubt my positive intent... and a
And ..
No matter what Mood I'm in!!
So you don't just punch them in the shoulder and say "Hey, you're cute."?
Yeah... probably not a good approach with the girls or the guys... best to stick with what's working.
Why worry about someone misinterpreting anything i say, for the most part if needed we can always clear things up. Finally as far as advice i believe honesty IS still the best policy. Any one who's met a brazilian knows we
Basically, these are little animations and loading them for viewers takes a little effort by the server... years ago, when web servers were slow and viewers were mostly on dial-up, this was probably very sound advice.
Rules... generally for a purpose... I respect that... and I'm generally one to follow the rules... which is easier to do when I understand the purpose...
I still like them... they can enhance the meaning of the words... or leave us all completely confused at times.
yup ... hugs for all! ...
Good to catch some of these other ones at times...
I will have to admit I don't like to see the barfing guy, the laughing guy or the forehead slapping guy to show our dislikes, but it's not my business to tell someone they are out of line using them.
Bottom line? I think they're fine.
I'm not trying to fight with you Ed. Just respectfully disagreeing.
We always missinterpreting, it happen even to me sometimes..he he!
But wehen we use emoticons is diffrent then reality, heres a hug wonder if you can feel the hug..
I'm with you in having some not-so-well-liked emoticons... the barf animation, though it serves a purpose, is a bit over-the-top for my liking.
Knowing each other... I see Mary isn't in agreement... I rather agree with you both in this...
For example, there are some who are the "best ever / worst ever" sort of people, and we see that so we can keep their comments in context. Some are always positive, so knowing this about them, when unsure what their words/emoticons really mean, we can assume they were intended to be positive.
We can't be certain, but in this way, we do know each other.
Thank you for sharing your own experience... and your own outlook... I agree with
Hugs and human contact... for some this is very normal and natural... with anyone they are familiar with... anyone they consider to be a friend... hugs are quite natural. For others, they feel like someone is getting too close and too familiar... and the emoticons feel a little too real at times.
I think how emoticons are used and how they are accepted and understood gives at least a small indication of our personality.
Some probably see
So... bottom line ... speaking for myself (in my opinion) ...
We're blogging ... We're not in the same room and we don't really know each other ... so in this context, I think we should attempt to show what we feel and attempt to be honest with ourselves and others ... show affection ... show excitement, disappointment, and perhaps even disgust ... what we say (unless directly quoted from someone else) is always just our own opinion so we shouldn't need to keep typing "IMO" ... And, like everything in my view of having a good life, we should seek each other's company for enjoyment and for greater understanding (which helps us find more enjoyment/happiness!).
An enjoyable topic! Thank you all for joining the conversation.