This tech tip will be a little more light-hearted than the others.

If you're still getting the hang of text messaging and e-mail etiquette, then now might be a good time to look at a facet of both that's unique in the world of communication. It's time to take a serious look at smiley faces.

You've likely encountered them before, those combinations of keyboard symbols that arrange together to look like a smiling face or a wink. The most common example of this is :) -- a ":" followed by ")". Don’t see the smile? Turn your head sideways and take another look. The ":" are the eyes and the ")" represents the mouth.

There are a multitude of smiley faces that are used, and new ones seemingly are created every day. Below is a list of some of the more common ones seen around the web:

:) = smiling face

:-) = smiling face with nose

:( = sad face

:`( = crying face

>:( = angry face

:D = big smile

=) = smiling face with big eyes

=D = big smile face with big eyes

o<(:D = big smile with birthday hat

<3 = heart

:p = sticking tongue out

=p = sticking tongue out with big eyes

;) = wink

:o) = clown nose

=() = big mouth

8) = smiling face with glasses

8-) = smiling face with glasses and nose

Obviously, there are many more variations and more are created every day. These are the basics that will get you by.

Enjoy :)