Those are Emoticons—little text representations of emotions. When you talk to someone, they can tell what you mean by the tone of your voice or the look on your face. For example, maybe someone says something like, "Why are you so annoying?"

Now, if they say it while they're laughing, you know that it's just lighthearted humor. If they say it with a bit of anger in their voice, you realize that it's probably time to back off.

Problem is, when I wrote that, you had no clue which direction I was going with it. Was I mad or joking?

Well, if I write it like this, you know:

Why are you so annoying :-)

See? So, here's a list of the more common emoticons that you'll run across:

Some browsers will automatically display some of these as graphics. If you see a yellow smiley face, there is actually a series of characters that are being translated to create it in your browser.

There are tons more to be found floating around the internet. So, express yourself and have fun.

~ Steve