Do we need smileys to communicate the mood with which we ask or answer a question?

Question

Do we need smileys to communicate the mood with which we ask or answer a question?

Answer 1

W H A T ??????????????

Answer 2

sounds an idea,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vm1757/2179...

Answer 3

I have just one standart smiley and it is on my avatar.

Answer 4

it'll be fun

Answer 5

It helps.

for anyone who knows me , my avatars give away my mood anyway ;)

Answer 6

Some people do and some people don't. It's all personal preference. Sometimes, I find a smiley when I know I'm being... a little contentious, cheeky, or sarcastic helps balance whatever it is I've typed.

:-)

It is nice that Smileys are pretty universally known now; although anything we can do to help clarify the tone of our answer helps.

Answer 7

:) :) :) :0 :S :S

Answer 8

yeah!!

and we need little old men and women avatars

for Bee and HC

Answer 9

yes sometimes. Or write, "I was being friendly then and didn't mean it the wrong way"  but that takes a while.

Answer 10

Bah...Humbug...

Answer 11

Well, I think they are better than FFS, STFU etc. I wish people wouldn't put swearing on here.[I had to put it, to make my point].

Would rather have a smile than aggression.

Answer 12

Yes. Sometimes it is hard to judge if someone is being sarcastic, funny, real, sad, whatever just through the written word.

Answer 13

Not all the time, but it would certainly help in some cases. After all, virtually all 'real' communication is lost via the Internet.

Answer 14

I think the standard :-) or :-( etc are enough to make it clear when you're making a joke or whatever.