In the absence of body language, communication on the internet is largely
dependent on the spoken or written word, which for business communication is
precisely just what is necessary.
However, latest technological innovations have imitated a large part of
social life on computer programs that induced people to forego physical
interaction to a more convenient, cost-efficient and a lot exciting virtual
counterpart. You need not embark on a
world-tour just to develop a multi-racial network of friends; social networking
sites, online gaming and thousands of discussion boards and forums can easily
open the flood gates of profiles on your laptop that soon enough you would have
your own version of the United Nations.
But how would one person who speaks Mandarin all his life would clearly
understand someone from France? Even two people who speak the same language, and
live in the same house can misunderstand one another, or divorce would not have
been an issue.
Putting it simply, language barrier is a challenge; words are not enough to
express what one wishes to convey, and in the absence of body language on the
internet, communication runs the short course of either taken for something
else or flatly not understood at all.
This is where free smileys or emoticons can come to your rescue.
Email Smileys or animated emoticons were conceived out of the same need to
find a means to express approval or disgust, when words are too lame to convey
it. In the absence of hand signals or
body language, which can make communication more effortless, smiley icons or
emoticons have been proven to work.
Here then are 12 tips on how to master the art of communicating with email
smileys:
1. Email
smileys are off-limits to business emails;
2. Choose email smileys that come in different
sizes ?small, medium or large - to clearly express the intensity level of your
own emotions;
3. Do
not send email smileys or animated emoticons in your first email; the recipient
may not share your optimism in using email smileys;
4. Exercise
restraint when sending email smileys; you would not want to send a kissing
smiley when you barely know the other person, would you?
5. As
much as words, be careful with how you choose email smileys. Take into account another person’s race,
religion, sexual orientation, customs and traditions when sending smileys in your
emails;
6. Do
not use email smileys to harass or insult another person;
7. Do
not send too many smileys in your emails; too much of anything repels, instead
of attract;
8. Choose
email smileys that are compatible with most email servers, such as Yahoo!Mail,
Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, Earthlink, and Comcast.
You would not want smileys that restrict your choice of email client to
use, depending on your own convenience.
9. Do
not patronize email smileys that have spyware or adware on them;
10. When you
grow accustomed to using email smileys, you will appreciate more their use and
the impact they provide your communication; seek out a subscription, rather
than the free service.
Today, smiley icons have evolved from simple textual images to becoming a
lot of characters with more expressions for everyone to use. Most email smileys can be downloaded on your
desktop for free however, to fully maximize the benefits that you can derive
from their use, you should opt for a full service, which you can pay in
exchange for a wider range of emoticons.
Nothing replaces good communication, and if email smileys help out in
clearing the channels for you, a few dollars each month on subscription fees
for smileys pay off in the long run.
Mastering the art of communicating with email smileys is simple, provided
you follow one rule: if you are not
certain, don’t send. Smiley icons serve
as just accessories to communication; aids to it when words seem hard to find,
but there is no way you would allow your message to get construed falsely by
sending an inappropriate smiley.
In most experiences however , email smileys have been found effective. Find out for yourself!
About the author
James Schmidt is CEO of King Kong Software, a Samba Enterprises Company that
brings you Zaazu , your
brand of cuter and more vibrant smileys; King Kong Viewer ,
an image viewing and editing software; and image capture software, King Kong
Capture.
Tags: animated emoticons, body language, business communication, business emails, challenge words, computer programs, disgust, flood gates, free smileys, hand signals, intensity level, internet communication, language barrier, language communication, latest technological innovations, network of friends, physical interaction, smiley icons, social networking sites, virtual counterpart