Smileys and other emoticons within parentheses

That's a great question.

If I know for certain that the program will substitute a smiley face, I usually use the smiley code plus the close paren, ":))". I don't do this for Microsoft Word, though, because I hate the smiley faces that program defaults to, and it's too finicky to change.

In all other cases I avoid using it at all if a close paren follows.

Another option is to turn the smiley around, "(:" but that's confusing.

Examples of what I type:

1. [dare I provide an example here? :)]
2. [dare I provide an example here? (:]
3. (dare I provide an example here? :})

:} is a somewhat smirk-smile-combination.

I prefer rewording, personally. svellabrjotur's bracketing is a good idea, but it seems like it might get a little cumbersome...

Not to offend anyone, but I hate graphical smileys, so that's definitely not an option!

Oh yeah, there's always the "anime style" emotes you could use. -_^

I triple-space between the smiley and the last mark - to my mind this makes the smily a picture. :)

What sometimes i do is type something after the smiley
(dare I provide an example here? :) dare I provide an example here?) but sometimes i can never think of what to say, so i just space it out a bit or put the smiley after
(dare I provide an example here?) :)

Four first, then three, then two, and hopefully never one! Of course, you can also use the "left-handed" smilies like speedwell said!

Hi! What you do today by evening?

What music prefer?

Hi
Good site. It would be desirable to return again and again!

Hi
As to me to create the same page?

Hi! Who knows still sites similar to this?

Good site. Me very much has liked.

Hi! Do not prompt as me to send e-mail? = (

Hmm, the spammers could use some help with English...

Excuse for intrusion, but at me not the big question. How you think how many people on the ground smoke and how many have ceased?

This isn't really a problem at all, people are just used to writing smileys the wrong way around. (The correct way has less problems with parentheses (: )

I do what svellabrjotur does above, taking my cue from Chicago pg 442:

[dare I provide an example here? :)]

http://xkcd.com/541

good questions. One should go with the option 3 there :)
Thanks

Perhaps a guide in this quandary lies in your noting that emoticons are part of *informal* writing, and so perhaps, it just does not matter too much. :-)

I tend to use your option one, while always feeling forced to stop and think about it!

I greatly dislike programmes that automatically convert to graphical smileys; Google Chat's versions are probably the least offensive I know of.

That as new =)

I have yet to find myself in a situation where I felt the need, or even the temptation, to use an emoticon.

Their most common use seems to be to try to put a polite note on a rude statement. Sorry, but that doesn't work. A rude statement remains rude even if you say it with a smile.

I think the subtleties mentioned in some of the above messages will almost certainly go over most heads unappreciated. It may take some effort, but it will be better in the end if you incorporate your subtleties into your text.

Hah, it's funny how much I've thought about this, and I usually thought I was alone in that. When posting messages on various online message boards, I most commonly use example #3, to allow the message board software to detect the ":)" without the final ")" interfering with the image transformation, as it sometimes does.

However, I hadn't really thought about the method #1 (discussed above) before. In the case where the emoticons are not converted into image-based smileys, this should truly be the answer. However, in a system in which they *are* changed into images, then you'd lose your closing parentheses, rendering the parentheses useless.

I would be nice if all blog sites and fora (forums) allowed the use of graphic emoticons then there would be no punctuation issues.
Maybe Dyske can give us some thoughts on whether or not we can have such a facility on Pain in the English.