Ironically, the origin of the smiley face is a highly controversial debate. The most accepted belief is that graphic artist Howard Ball of Worcester, MA, created the smiley when asked to design a morale boosting campaign. He started with just the smile, but soon realized disgruntled employees might turn it upside down to a frown, so he added eyes.  Other Emoticons:   :) The classic smile. "I'm happy" or "my meaning is positive." Some Word programs will automatically turn this into a graphic after hitting return.   ;)   The wink. "Just kidding," sarcasm, etc.    :-)  Smiley with a nose.   :-D     Laughing. A slightly goofier version of the smiley, this one signifies a particularly happy mood or a laughing response.   8)       Glasses or sunglasses. The cool smiley.  :p       Tongue hanging out. Self-explanatory.    :(  The frown. Disappointed or sad.    >:  Angry face.  :x        Sick face.  :O       Embarassed or shocked.  0:-)     Angel with halo. "Who, me?"  >:-)  Evil grin.    2.  Chat Acronyms.  Verdan

Glasses or sunglasses. The cool smiley.  :p       Tongue hanging out. Self-explanatory.    :(  The frown. Disappointed or sad.    >:  Angry face.  :x        Sick face.  :O       Embarassed or shocked.  0:-)     Angel with halo. "Who, me?"  >:-)  Evil grin. 

These abbreviations of commonly used chat phrases are often used in e-mail too. Although they can be great timesavers, it's easy to lose people if you overuse them.  ASAP As Soon As Possible BFN Bye For Now BTW By The Way DIY Do It Yourself FAQ Frequently Asked Questions FYA For Your Amusement FYI For Your Information K Okay KISS Keep It Simple, Stupid LMHO Laughing My Head Off LOL Laughing Out Loud OBO Or Best Offer OTL Out To Lunch OTFL On The Floor Laughing THX Thanks TIA Thanks In Advance TTFN Ta Ta For Now

Rule 1: Remember the Human Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth Rule 5: Make yourself look good online Rule 6: Share expert knowledge Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy Rule 9: Don't abuse your power Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

1. ALL CAPS means shouting 2. Use underscores or asterisks for emphasizing words 3. Watch your tone -- it's written, not verbal communication 4. Check your spelling 5. Quote back only what is relevant 6. Use an automatic signature, especially if you are a business 7. Where are you located if requesting goods or services? 8. Don't send unsolicited file attachments 9. Use a descriptive Subject line 10. Only forward jokes and chainletters if you are SURE the recipient wants them (and hasn't already gotten a copy or three from someone else) 11. Don't send "Check This Out" Unsolicited URLs 12. Don't expose your email routing list to spammers 13. If you are on AOL, do not use the "Forward" command 14. Don't believe every cybermyth, urban legend, hoax or virus "alert" sent to you

2. No "Flaming": Flaming is a form of verbal abuse when you intentionally attack or disrespect somebody for whatever reason.

Take advantage of your anonymity

Netiquette (a compound formed from "net etiquette") is a set of social conventions that facilitate interaction over networks, ranging from Usenet and mailing lists to blogs and forums. These rules were described in IETF RFC 1855.[1] However, like many Internet phenomena, the concept and its application remain in a state of flux, and vary from community to community. The points most strongly emphasized about USENET netiquette often include using simple electronic signatures, and avoiding multiposting, cross-posting, off-topic posting, hijacking a discussion thread, and other techniques used to minimize the effort required to read a post or a thread. Netiquette guidelines posted by IBM for employees utilizing Second Life in an official capacity, however, focus on basic professionalism, maintaining a tenable work environment, and protecting IBM's intellectual property.[2] Similarly, some Usenet guidelines call for use of unabbreviated English[3][4] while users of online chat protocols like IRC and instant messaging protocols like SMS often encourage just the opposite, bolstering use of SMS language.