Smilies

An emoticon is a symbol or image used to show how a member feels. They are very commonly and widely used on the internet in various messaging utilities including but not limited to forums, instant messenger software such as MSN messenger, and email. Emoticons are more commonly referred to as smilies and will be referred to as such for the remainder of this article.

MFGG has it's own set of smilies with a Mario theme. They can be added into posts by clicking on them or a member may opt to type in the text associated with the smiley and the forum software will parse it. The text associated with smilies on most forums may be found by moving your mouse pointer over the smiley. The text will show up in the status bar of your internet browser. Typing it in is much more convenient and efficient when you are engaged in a conversation.

General emoticons

•  :) =) happy/pleased/smile
•  :( =( unhappy/frown
•  :| =| impassive/blank
•  :/ :\ =/ =\ unimpressed/uninspired
• :D =D proud
• >:( angry
• ಠ_ಠ disapproved/angry
• XD humored

In addition to the forum's current smilies, a couple new ones were meant to be added and the :cool: smiley was to be updated. However, as should be expected, not everybody was happy with the change. Kritter was convinced that the smilies were pointless and would just be overused, and refused allow the new smilies to stay willingly. Kritter wasn't the only member who made a fuss however. Because of the complaints, Klobber removed the new smilies just 10 minutes after they had been added. He was frustrated and came to believe that everything he does for the forum only results in mass complaints. The updated :cool: smiley remained and it is used often, however.

Though smilies may seldom be used appropriately, they have become a big part of the community and will continue to be a big part of the community for years to come.