GameRager: I don't see how smilies will be essential to participate in or understand a thread or post, or at least can't see how it would lead to forum division of a magnitude as you seem to be alluding to....besides, with them turned off they would just appear in ASCII/text like they normally do now so people could still see the smilies in some form anyways.
Also no not trolling. I just like emoticons is all.
Tarm: You haven't seen short tales told by emoticons? Try getting the point if all you see is ASCII.
If you have a community where some have access, willing or by choice, to something and some not you get division.
Emoticons isn't the point I'm trying to make. It's that adding features to a community that's not essential and a big part of the community don't see a point in and don't want.
A forum is a forum and it's made for a simple purpose and that is to communicate in a easy way. You want eye candy go play a game.
Also like Aliasalpha said emoticons is the easy way out. If you can't word your thoughts easily you just slap a emoticon into the conversation and if it is one thing I truly hate it is things that endorse stupidity.
1. Not everyone has said they don't want emoticons, so please don't try to say things you can't back up.
2. You won't have division of a noticeable degree just because some use emoticons and some don't if text smilies are still used for those opting out of picture smilies. This isn't forum access only to some people on some areas of the forum level division....it's smilies vs. text emoticons via opting in or out of pixelated smilies option.
3. Lots of mature forums use smilies......they don't make one's posts or home forum become suddenly immature if that's what you were alluding to.
4. Smilies dont=stupidity, and many mature speakers use them on forums.....and some people just like to use them for fun. It's not always an easy way out but think what you will.
