About :-) and 8-) and such

[Donald D. Markstein]

> The use of a smiley *is* useful, because we can't see nor hear you when we
> read your text. And especially when a text can be read in more than one
way,
> it helps when a smiley indicates "this is *not* meant to be serious".
> This has nothing to do with laughing at your own jokes. It's just a handy
> way of communicating.

Unfortunately, the Smiley is often used to mean "Here's what I think of you,
and you can't even reply in kind because I put a smiley on it." I don't use
it, personally, partly because of that and partly because I think I'm a good
enough writer to get my meaning across without it. (And if I miss, I don't
mind apologizing afterward.)

Quack, Don

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