smileys emoticons and icons...oh my!

i am used to triggering emoticons w certain words between asterisks. so i was surprised on facebook the other day when *mad* failed to resolve (ditto here, now!). turns out, all the emoticons there are of the "colon" variety.

http://symbols.cachefly.net/images/facebook-emoticons.png

when i tried to find the list, i found a zillion sites w "additional" emoticons to DL. similarly, the emoticons on offer HERE (mg) seem to be divided into 2 levels -- basic ones, resolving clearly, and complicated ones done by hand-draw or sumpin.

over in hotmail, it's yet a THIRD set of icons...triggered by asterisks, iirc (been a while, maybe iDrc). while googling up a list, i found THIS FB group. not that i care abt the sheep, but it indicates that there is a default chart of icons to be seen somewhere. WHERE?

is there any patten here? are these things created/accepted by websites individually, or is there some sort of inherent coding in windows? is there some set which is therefore GUARANTEED to be usable web-wide? and is there some distinction/term for "asterisk sandwiched" vs. "colon-triggered"?

i'm so *confused*.....

(lol - didn't trigger!)

 

It's the forum's software that determines smilie format.

 

Ya, every site has their own code that they use. There is a standard smilie code that was developed when the internet was still very young like this, as you can see, the list is quite extensive. However, most sites recognize the usual ones like

Code:

;)
:)
:P or p etc.

I often get confused what system they use so I stick with what I know and see at the site.

 

say whu...?! it's EXTREMELY common...is it not? someone back me up here?

not a single asterisk, btw, but bookends. as in:

*mad*
*angry*
*rofl*

and then what's the deal on MG w icons triggering WITHOUT a colon?! i know i have to go to great lengths to type LOL without having it autoconvert into an icon.

what OTHER words are there?

test:

MAD
ANGRY
ROFL

nope

 

I've never seen it, either. Even forums that aren't vBulletin tend to use the colon method (everywhere other than here I go uses a colon before and a colon after, though, rather than just the single colon before), although I do frequent one that uses brackets before and after.

 

hmmm. guess i am AFU.

not even in IRC or some other common chat app?

cuda SWORN i been typing *mad* all these years....

back to the colons, why does LOL not require one? as with your Outlook fears, I am always annoyed when i see this trigger uninvited.

having now checked the list, it seems to be the lone such case. bug or... um, "feature"?

 

r oflmao is another that doesn't use a colon either.

 

oh, yeah, guess i missed that. odd, seeing how rofl itself needs one.

i seem to have missed rolleyes as well. maybe we need an icon for BAD eyes...??

so lessee...it's roflmao, rolleyes and LOL.

funny thing, lol doesn't convert unless upcased. otoh, those other two cease to convert if upcased!! (just tested)

this makes less sense by the minute.


RECAP:

rofl: rofl
roflmao: roflmao
rolleyes: rolleyes
lol: lol
ROFL: ROFL
ROFLMAO: ROFLMAO
ROLLEYES: ROLLEYES
LOL: LOL

what a mess!

 

Facebook used to do it but it wasn't emoticons, it was words. Like if I typed *shakes fist* it would show up as shakes fist to emphasis it.

I tried it the other day while I was talking to my sister and it doesn't seem do it anymore but it's not surprising, they change the FB format like people change underwear. :-D

 

yeah, like every 6 months! enuf already!!

 

The FB Penguin (")> (I think).

 

penguin (link) is in my OP.

but thumbs up seems to be a new one: (y)