Emoticon War! - Actually, I just don't know what to say...

*Awkward silence*

When you’re talking, it is almost impossible to avoid moments of silence. Sometimes these silences and, for some reason, msn requires these silences to be broken with emoticons.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could use emoticons in real life? If there is nothing to talk about and you could break the silence by holding up a massive smiley face or a funny picture of Noddy running around a tree. Maybe you could even invent a device to give your companion a weird vibrating nudge while music plays around you. (Talking of nudges and the sounds played by msn, I’ve changed all my alert noises to Dr Who quotes and Trock... how awesome is that eh)

IRL, (in real life FYI [for your information btw {by the way for you n00bs }])... Hang on, where was I? So, IRL, awkward silences can often be broken by someone else infiltrating your nonversation. However, this can never happen on msn. You can’t suddenly have someone else enter your conversation without inviting them in yourself (which is just weird in the case of a nonversation and breaks all internet etiquette.) Talking of etiquette, different situations in life let you do different things. When talking on msn, you could easily get changed in the middle of a conversation (although that is not advised if you have a web cam...) but if you started talking your clothes off while talking to a friend in a coffee shop you may not be invited out again. Also, you could wear a bikini on the beach without anyone batting an eyelid (providing you’re a girl) while wearing swimming gear to a wedding would cause more than a few funny looks!

One of my favourite etiquette related YouTube videos is Charlie McDonnell's “How to be English” video. However, I think I break all English social etiquette rules by not liking tea. Although I went through a phase where I would drink half a milky cup, I don’t consider a cup of tea a particularly great drink. I’m happy to just have juice =)

So all forms of etiquette are just weird: Why do we feel the need to continue msn nonversations with emoticons? Why is it so wrong to wear your swimming stuff when you’re not at the beach or a swimming pool? Why are all English people required to like (and drink) tea? Nevertheless, most of us generally go along with these rules and expectations and let life continue on around us... Terrie, those emoticon wars we have will not stop!