ARTICLE

Say NO to winky smilies

by | Mon 16 Oct 2006

As someone who spends a large chunk of his life on IRC, mainly due to working with the various communities on IRC, my quality-of-IRC (QoIRC?) is pretty important. Although typically blissful in my day to day bumblings, one increasing trend seems to be sweeping IRC communities like a dose of diarrhoea at a festival…

…winky smilies – 😉

They annoy me. IRC has enough ambiguity without someone deliberately enforcing it. Some people use winky smilies *all the time*. Now, translate this into the real world (that’s the point of smileys). Imagine winking that much. Imagine walking to the bus stop and saying *”cold out today!”* ;). Imagine going to a shop and responding to a question with *”no I don’t want cash back”* ;). People would think you were nuts. It is just isn’t normal, and we need to put a stop to it. The world of online emotions is perfectly supported by 🙂 🙁 😛 and :D.

An invitation-only accelerator that develops industry-leading community engagement and growth via personalized training, coaching, and accountability...all tailored to your company's needs.

Want to read some more?

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

Just a quick note to wish all of you a happy, restful, and peaceful holidays, however and whoever you spend it with. Take care, folks, and I look forward to seeing you in 2015!

The Impact of One Person

The Impact of One Person

I am 35 years old and *people* never cease to surprise me. My trip home from Los Angeles today was a good example of this. It was a tortuous affair that should have been a quick hop from LA to Oakland, popping on BArt, and then getting home for a cup of tea and an...

Feedback Requested: Great Examples of Community

Feedback Requested: Great Examples of Community

Folks, I need to ask for some help. Like many, I have some go-to examples of great communities. This includes Wikipedia, OpenStreetmap, Ubuntu, Debian, Linux, and others. Many of these are software related, many of them are Open Source. I would like to ask your...

Ubuntu Governance Reboot: Five Proposals

Ubuntu Governance Reboot: Five Proposals

Sorry, this is *long*, but hang in there. A little while back I wrote [a blog post](https://archivedblog.jonobacon.com/2014/11/14/ubuntu-governance-reboot/) that seemed to inspire some people and ruffle the feathers of some others. It was designed as a...

Ubuntu Governance: Reboot?

Ubuntu Governance: Reboot?

For many years Ubuntu has had a comprehensive governance structure. At the top of the tree are the Community Council (community policy) and the Technical Board (technical policy). Below those boards are sub-councils such as the IRC, Forum, and LoCo councils, and...

Dealing With Disrespect: The Video

Dealing With Disrespect: The Video

A while back I wrote and released a free e-book called [Dealing With Disrespect](https://www.dealingwithdisrespect.com/). It is a book that provides a short, simple to read, free guide for handling personalized, mean-spirited, disrespectful, and in some cases,...