Tunborough wrote:... I hold to my opinion that the little GIF files ... are an asset to the board.
(Finding I need to preface that when I say "you" in the following, I'm not meaning you personally, Tunborough, but am using it in the sense of "someone".)
I would be adrift without my winkie smileys, if I had nothing else. I cannot rightfully expect everyone to know when my delivery is wry or tongue-in-cheek otherwise, and it often is, because that's how I roll. And when my delivery is intended to be wry or tongue-in-cheek, I can see pretty much every time when it's open to misinterpretation; so to forestall that in such cases, and because I want to keep to my writing style, enter the winkie smiley. To do without and say that it's up to the reader to get it flies in the face of the very concept of communication; my public posts here are not just for the anointed few who are somehow kith and kin to my sort of mind. I wouldn't even know who such people are in the first place, and that's a lonely place to put myself in.
For those who think smilies are beneath their dignity, then fine. But as far as I'm concerned, that's like saying the nuances of face and voice, so essential to optimal human social communication, are beneath you as well. Don't think that if people don't get that your intent was tongue-in-cheek, they are somehow deficient. That is a huge mistake, and a disservice. If they don't get it, the problem ultimately rests with the writer. Yes, sir.
If you think that
my use of smileys is merely silly, childish, and an indicator of my being bereft of taste, then fine. But in that case the fact is that you have made an uninformed presumption, based merely on your prejudices, as to my sincere intent in using them.
It hardly needs to be said that posts on a message board are not the same thing as doctoral theses. The former are social; the latter are not. There is a time and a place for everything. Of course smileys may be overused to the point of inanity, but we don't see a lot of that here, thank goodness. People tend to use them judiciously for the most part, and that is how I think they are best applied, that application being to assure the reader, when assurance seems called for, of the writer's humor and good will.
Take for example my use of the snarky
smiley above in my earlier reply to Wanderer: without it, one might understandably assume that my tone is one of needing to be right at all costs. But that is, in fact, far from the case. So, that sort of smiley is intended to give a mollifying effect to my words, much-needed if I am to be understood properly. And I do want to be understood properly without having to overstate things.
Then of course there are those few who seem to have no clue whatsoever as to what the various emoticons mean when they use them, but what can you do?
To date I have known only one person who could do without smileys every time in clearly and successfully communicating wryness, and that is Dale. He has the uncanny knack for it, and I've often marveled at it. But comparing writing styles, it's clear I'm not him. Nor would I try to be.
So: If for no other reason than I personally rely on them from time to time, the smileys stay. I think that just about covers it.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Tribal musician