SmileY Face AnyonE?
For those of us who feel pretty cutting-edge because we’ve been using smiley faces and other emoticons in our emails and instant messages for the past few years, guess what? The smiley emoticon is 25 years old.
Happy Birthday, Smiley Face Icon
One of the first uses of a colon, dash and parenthesis to form a sideways smiley face occurred on Sept. 19, 1982, when Carnegie Mellon University Professor Scott E. Fahlman suggested in an online academic bulletin board (the precursor to chat rooms and instant messaging) that there was a need for symbols to convey emotion, the nuance of which often is often missed by readers.
Now, if we could just celebrate when the words “emotion” and “icon” merged to make “emoticon”…
Hecka cool eh. 
Of course prior to the cute lil emoticons..there was always Morse Code.
Some examples:
CUL= See you later
B4= Before
CUZ= Because
ENUF= Enough
FER= For
GM= Good morning
TNX = Thanks
U= You
UR= Your or You’re
WUD= Would
and my favorite:
88= Love and kisses Heh.
And y’all thawt I wuz misspellin werds on purpose eh?..ha
We all write for different reasons.
Some of us express more emotion than others……..but..anybody who’s ever entrusted a troubling secret to a diary, or shared their broken heart with their best friend, knows the feeling of release and even liberation that expressing painful feelings can bring.
Anyone who’s ever written or blogged bout Liberals knows what I mean! Heh.
Expressing negative emotions,… anger, sadness, or fear, can be good for our mental health, our physical health, and , depending on how it is expressed …even our interpersonal relationships.
But sometimes expressing our negative feelings increases rather than decreases the emotions, and intensifies our distress.
When can that happen?
Firstly, if expressing the feelings evoke feelings of guilt or shame, or when the listener, or reader responds critically rather than empathically.
Ever write something only to have a reader totally misconstrue or try to argue you to wits end?
Didn’t exactly have the emotional catharsis you were lookin for eh.
Suppressing hurt or angry feelings can be harmful because not expressing them also requires our precious energy..and sometimes just containing them hurts. (Trust me, looking at the N.Y. skyline is still agonizing.)
Think about not ever sharing your views on the IzlamoNazi threat….or the Libs taking over our government………..or your kid who doesn’t seem to understand the word “No.”
Of course, there are those who simply do not experience intense emotional reactions. Not that I would know anything bout that.
The best case scenario involves experiencing moderate emotions (what are those?..lol)… while still feeling capable, adept and in control.
Sometimes, writing about disturbing or even traumatic events reduces its power and negative affect on us. It can alter disorganized thoughts and feelings into a more logical, understanding of the upsetting episode.
Why do I write?
Hmmm.
To bring me closer to the “Truth” as I perceive it.
It allows me to organize and reappraise my negative thoughts and feelings.
To elicit much needed “support” and reassurance from all of you sweet friends. (Thank You)
To help me clarify my obsessional ruminations about issues..perhaps even humbly influence my readers?
To express feeeeeeeeeeeeeelings!
It helps me stay sane? ha
Bottom line.
We all want to be heard.
So, let the steam outta the kettle..Express yourself.
As far as emoticons go…………hey…anythin that helps me set an emotional tone is fine with this highly emotional girl~!
Btw (by the way..heh)..if ya ever feel like virtually smiling…….
No need to get smileys….simply use your mouse and make one with your keyboard~! colon/parentheses…and here ya go! 
Smiling to my friends over at Stop the ACLU, Right Pundits, The Virtuous Republic, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Perri Nelson’s Website, Is It Just Me?, Rosemary’s Thoughts, DeMediacratic Nation, 123beta, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, Nuke’s News & Views, Stuck On Stupid, The Bullwinkle Blog, Phastidio.net, The Amboy Times, Leaning Straight Up, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, third world county, Wake Up America, Walls of the City, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, CommonSenseAmerica, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and Public Eye, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:08 pm
25 years! WOW! I have to borrow some of your cute graphics, ok????
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Re-building Eden - The Great Utopian Cockup…
If we have any realistic notion of opposing the utopia-building ideas underpinning the present objectives of the globalist NEA’s educational philosophy, we must come to know our own strengths and weaknesses. I think too, it will require a synthesis o….
September 23rd, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Somehow I don’t want to eat from smiley-face dishware.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:24 pm
[...] These are the posts I have trackbacked to: Woman Honor Thyself, Outside the Beltway, Webloggin, Walls of the City, Stageleft, OTB Sports, Phastidio.net, The Amboy Times, Cao’s Blog, Woman Honor Thyself, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. [...]
September 23rd, 2007 at 10:18 pm
You’re making me feel OLD, ha. Kids can’t speak or write these days, it’s all letters. Someone sent me an email and ended with a bunch of letters, like WDLKENGUSHDN . I didn’t know if they were agreeing with me, arguing with me, cussing me out or what.
Angel, I blog for the same reasons you do. It’s a great release, meeting new friends, getting information, support, comfort, most of the time.
I might eat chocolate out of a smiley face dish.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:46 am
[...] Woman Honor Thyself Says: SmileY Face AnyonE?… [...]
September 24th, 2007 at 4:46 am
Emoticons are good, in that they reveal the intarweb for what it really is: an emotion-free wilderness in which one should venture only for short durations of time.
There’s a whole world out there. Yeah, really. I know, I’ve been there. Try it out sometime.
September 24th, 2007 at 5:55 am
209.85.48.12/9614/180/emo/Drink_to_that.gif
September 24th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Home Run Angel……you hit it right on the head.
I could never make it through a day with all those “Clowns to the LEFT of me” and jokers to the right….without my inner BOZO.
Keep Smiling :)..:)..:)..:)… this way the terrorist never win!!!!
September 24th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hi Angel. Here I thought you would probably be ranting and raving about Ahmadinejad’s visit today. Boy, was I wrong about that. It was delightful to see an upbeat post here. Thanks!
September 24th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Have a great, smiley day!
September 24th, 2007 at 11:29 am
I hate misspelled words!! I absolutely hate that trend!
I love those smiley faces…they make me happy.
I like blogging because it help me spew out all the venom trapped in me!!! and I can make friends without the actual effort that goes in a real friendship.I like all this anonymity!
September 24th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
Colon/parenthesis to you, Angel!
September 24th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
This may be heresy, but I don’t like to use emoticons. I don’t mind if others use then, but I hardly ever use them.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
I had no idea they were 25 years old. I thought they had been around for maybe 5 years.
September 24th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Emoticons do help, and the smiley is the best one
September 24th, 2007 at 8:13 pm
Its nice to be reading a posting of a light subject and topic!
I read the whole darn thing and went down my own memory lane…
September 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I have one I thought that I’d created
Little Devil }:>
September 25th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
What a great post Angel,
I knew I was blogging for a reason lol,
It is a great stress reliever
:-)
September 25th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
I’d rather see my smilely faces on a person, but Angel, you do have a way of bringing joy with your emotions! It is nice to have positive messages which contain truth for a change, and you are the Angel who does that. Keep up your good work and keep that smile on your face (and on your plate, if you want).
September 25th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
Sending a smile right back at ya, Angel.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
AW THANKS ALL FOR THE SMILES! Heh
September 26th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
How expressive you are…
September 26th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Wish I had thought of it.
January 31st, 2008 at 9:21 am
Thanks for sharing