How to Type Smileys and Symbols in Windows 8
The new touch keyboard in Windows 8 will help you quickly insert smileys and symbols in your chat conversations and documents.
smileys
Did Abraham Lincoln Invent the Smiley Icon
While most people believe that Scott Fahlman was the first person to suggest the use of :-) symbol for representing a smiley face, Times has stumbled upon an old speech of Abraham Lincoln that contains an emoticon.
Smileys for your Gmail Messages
Gmail now supports emoticons (or Smileys) provided you compose email messages in rich HTML mode. The smiley feature is available only in Gmail accounts but Google Apps users may try a hack to insert smileys in their messages.
Emoticons without Turning your Head
Emoticons, which are usually drawn sideways, need you to turn your head to read them. If for some reason you prefer them right side up, here is a list of emoticons you don’t have to turn your head for.
Add Smiley Faces (Emoticons) to Email Messages in Gmail
You have seen those cute yellow smiley faces in Yahoo! Mail and Windows Live Hotmail. Now you can add those emoticons or graphical smileys to your GMail emails as well.
Yahoo! Smileys and Emoticons
Full list of Yahoo! Mail smiley icons and graphic images.