I’d like to know the beginnings of the darned smiley face. I wonder if Wal-Mart made it popular or if it was the people first and Wal-Mart copied. Hmm, there’s some good food for thought! Yeah, right. Then everyone went nuts and started typing frowns and winks and tears :~( !!! And what’s this… :p …is the face sticking it’s tongue out? So new faces were running rampant and began appearing on e-mails throughout the world. All the while I was still trying to figure out how to implement the first one !

But the great thing about these small surprises is how it brings the e-mail you’re receiving to life. Seeing a miniature smiley face makes a note feel a little friendlier. It helps portray what the author really means a bit better. You understand they’re being sarcastic if they add a wink. If you get a tear you know they’re “really sad”. So I say include a little face at the end of your sentence… it may just be what the reader needs!