{"id":16315,"date":"2016-08-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-30T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dlvrit.com\/blog?p=16315&preview_id=16315"},"modified":"2026-04-15T03:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:06:18","slug":"emoticons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dlvrit.com\/blog\/emoticons\/","title":{"rendered":"Where to Find the Best Emoticons and How to Avoid Mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you speak emoticon? Or, are you one of those who thinks using emoticons in business communications and social media is unprofessional and consequently, a bad idea? Think again.<\/p>\n

This post contains fun links to some of the best emoticon directories we found including Skype<\/a>, Slack<\/a>, and Pokemon Go – who knew!<\/p>\n

However, if you’re not sold yet because of your skepticism, here are four\u00a0scientifically-proven facts to ponder:<\/p>\n

Fact #1:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Scientists have discovered<\/a> that when we look at a smiley face online, the same very specific parts of the brain are activated as when we look at a real human face.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u2192<\/strong>Why might this make a difference when it comes to social media and marketing?<\/p>\n

Because human faces are so particularly compelling, attention-grabbing mechanisms.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Smiley<\/p>\n

Fact #2:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

An analysis of more than 31 million tweets and half a million Facebook posts\u00a0<\/a>uncovered the fact that positive emoticons can be a social media status marker.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The emoticon features achieved high performance, suggesting that there is a strong link between emoticon use and social power. Powerful users tend to use emoticons often and high Klout is strongly associated with positive emoticons.<\/strong> –\u00a0Simo Tchokni, The Computer Laboratory University of Cambridge UK<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fact #3:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Studies on workplace communication show that when specific, negative feedback from a superior comes with positive emoticons, employees are more likely to feel good about the message<\/a><\/strong> and more likely to make the changes asked of them.<\/h4>\n

Our results suggest that using liking emoticons increases perceived good intention of the feedback provider and decreases perceived feedback negativity when the feedback is specific. – JAIS<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fact #4:<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research shows<\/a> that experts in a subject matter who use emoticons are perceived as more \u201cfriendly and competent\u201d than those who don\u2019t.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In most cases, you can create a more positive customer experience simply by dressing up your communication with punctuation.<\/em><\/p>\n

Consider the following two support emails. They are identical except for the use of exclamation points and emoticons:<\/p>\n

\"Email<\/p>\n

\"Email<\/p>\n

The second email (above) is an excellent example of why overt friendliness works in written customer communications!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span>Emoticons vs. Emojis<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

It all started with a simple colon, dash, and bracket used by computer scientist, Scott E. Fahlman back in 1982.<\/p>\n

He thought it would help people on a message board at Carnegie Mellon distinguish serious posts from jokes.\u00a0He proposed the use of \ud83d\ude42<\/tt> and \ud83d\ude41<\/tt> for this purpose, and the symbols caught on.<\/p>\n

\"Carnegie<\/p>\n

Since then, thousands of emoticons like the smiley face have emerged, conveying a diverse and complex array of emotions and concepts.<\/p>\n

We’ve written a few posts on how to use emojis and emoticons<\/strong> successfully in business communications and social media.\u00a0Although they have different history and meanings, we are using the two terms interchangeably.<\/p>\n

Make sure to read:<\/p>\n