On the Internet in e-mail, chatting, and posted messages, an emoticon (sometimes referred to as a "smiley") is a short sequence of keyboard letters and symbols, usually emulating a facial expression, expressing a feeling that supplements the message. Most of these emoticons use several symbols to create a small face with an expression such as a smile, wink, or turned-down mouth.

:-) Your basic smiley. This smiley is used to inflect a sarcastic or joking statement.
;-) Winky smiley. Writer just made a flirtatious and/or sarcastic remark. More of a "don't hit me for what I just said" smiley.
:-( Frowning smiley. member did not like that last statement or is upset or depressed about something.
:-I Indifferent smiley. Better than a Frowning smiley but not quite as good as a happy smiley
:-> Writer just made a really biting sarcastic remark. Worse than a :-).
>:-> Writer just made a really devilish remark.
>;-> Winky and devil combined. A very lewd remark was just made.

Here are some somewhat less common 'smilies':

(-: Writer is left handed
%-) Writer has been staring at a green screen for 15 hours straight
:*) Writer is drunk
[:] Writer is a robot
8-) Writer is wearing sunglasses
B:-) Sunglasses on head
::-) Writer wears normal glasses
B-) Writer wears horn-rimmed glasses
8:-) Writer is a little girl
:-)-8 Writer is a Big girl
:-{) Writer has a moustache
:-{} Writer wears lipstick
{:-) Writer wears a toupee
}:-( Toupee in an updraft
:-[ Writer is a Vampire
:-E Bucktoothed vampire
:-F Bucktoothed vampire with one tooth missing
:-7 Writer just made a wry statement
:-* Writer just ate something sour
:-)~ Writer drools
:-~) Writer has a cold
:'-( Writer is crying
:'-) Writer is so happy, s/he is crying
:-@ Writer is screaming
:-# Writer wears braces
:^) Writer has a broken nose
:v) Writer has a broken nose, but it's the other way
:_) Writer's nose is sliding off of his face
:<) Writer is from an Ivy League School
:-& Writer is tongue tied.
=:-) Writer is a hose-head
-:-) Writer is a punk rocker
-:-( (real punk rockers don't smile)
:=) Writer has two noses
+-:-) Writer is the Pope or holds some other religious office
`:-) Writer shaved one of his eyebrows off this morning
,:-) Same thing...other side
|-I Writer is asleep
|-O Writer is yawning/snoring
:-Q Writer is a smoker
:-? Writer smokes a pipe
O-) Megaton Man On Patrol! (or else, writer is a scuba diver)
O :-) Writer is an angel (at heart, at least)
:-P Nyahhhh!
:-S Writer just made an incoherent statement
:-D Writer is laughing (at you!)
:-X Writer's lips are sealed
:-C Writer is really bummed
<|-) Writer is Chinese
<|-( Writer is Chinese and doesn't like these kind of jokes
:-/ Writer is sceptical
C=:-) Writer is a chef
@= Writer is pro-nuclear war
*<:-) Writer is wearing a Santa Claus Hat
:-o Uh oh!
(8-o It's Mr. Bill!
*:o) And Bozo the Clown!
3:] Pet smiley
3:[ Mean Pet smiley
d8= Your pet beaver is wearing goggles and a hard hat.
E-:-) Writer is a Ham radio operator
:-9 Writer is licking his/her lips
%-6 Writer is brain-dead
[:-) Writer is wearing a walkman
(:I Writer is an egghead
<:-I Writer is a dunce
K:P Writer is a little kid with a propeller beanie
@:-) Writer is wearing a turban
:-0 No Yelling! (Quiet Lab)
:-: Mutant Smiley
The invisible smiley
.-) Writer only has one eye
,-) Ditto...but he's winking
X-( Writer just died
8 :-) Writer is a wizard
C=}>;*{)) Mega-Smilie... A drunk, devilish chef with a toupee in an updraft, a moustache, and a double chin

Note: A lot of these can be typed without noses to make midget smileys.

:) Midget smilie
:] Gleep...a friendly midget smiley who will gladly be your friend
=) Variation on a theme...
:} What should we call these? (what?)
:) Happy
:> what?
:@ what?
:D Laughter
:I Hmmm...
:( Sad
:[ Real Downer
:< what?
:{ what?
:O Yelling
:C what?
:Q what?
:,( Crying
[] Hugs and
:* Kisses
|I Asleep
|^o Snoring
:-` smiley spitting out its chewing tobacco
:-1 smiley bland face
:-! "
:-@ smiley face screaming
:-#| smiley face with bushy moustache
:-$ smiley face with it's mouth wired shut
:-% smiley banker
:-6 smiley after eating something sour
:^) smiley with pointy nose (rightie)
:-7 smiley after a wry statement
8-) smiley swimmer
:-* smiley after eating something bitter
:-& smiley which is tongue-tied
:-0 smiley orator
smiley invisible man
(:-( unsmiley frowning
(:-) smiley big-face
):-) "
):-( unsmiley big-face
)8-) scuba smiley big-face
=:-) smiley punk-rocker
=:-( (real punk rockers don't smile)
+:-) smiley priest
:-q smiley trying to touch its tongue to its nose
:-e disappointed smiley
:-t cross smiley
:-i semi-smiley
:-o smiley singing national anthem
:-p smiley sticking its tongue out (at you!)
:-[ un-smiley blockhead
:-] smiley blockhead
:-{ smiley variation on a theme
:-} ditto
{:-) smiley with its hair parted in the middle
}:-) above in an updraft
:-a lefty smiley touching tongue to nose
:-s smiley after a BIZARRE comment
:-d lefty smiley razzing you
g-) smiley with ponce-nez glasses
:-j left smiling smiley
:-k beats me, looks like something though.
:-l y. a. s.
:-: mutant smiley
:-\ undecided smiley
:-| "have an ordinary day" smiley
;-) winking smiley
:-< real sad smiley
:-> y.a.s.
:-z y.a.c.s.
:-x "my lips are sealed" smiley
:-c bummed out smiley
:-v talking head smiley
:v) left-pointing nose smiley
:-b left-pointing tongue smiley
:-/ lefty undecided smiley
:-? smilely smoking a pipe
.-] one-eyed smiley
,-} wry and winking
0-) smiley Cyclops (scuba diver?)
:-=) older smiley with moustache
:u) smiley with funny-looking left nose
:n) smiley with funny-looking right nose
:< midget un-smiley
:> midget smiley
}:^#}) mega-smiley: updraft bushy-moustached pointy nosed smiley with a double-chin
:-} beard
:-{ mustache
:-# braces
:-X bow tie
:-Q smoker
<:I dunce
(:I egghead
@:I turban
8-) glasses
B-) horn-rims
8:-) glasses on forehead
:-8( condescending stare
;-) wink
>:-< mad
:- Male
>- Female
|-O Birth
8-# Death