SMILIES pro versus con

Originally Posted by Flint

Do you understand what I mean?
Do you understand what I mean?
Do you understand what I mean?
Do you understand what I mean?
Do you understand what I mean?
Do you understand what I mean?

In the context of this discussion, I actually don't understand what you - a person with the board name of Flint - mean. Your italics might well be my bold print; your bold, my italic. Commonly, bold print is used for emphasis, but I can't be certain that you and I share this same premise After all, you might be one of those high school drop outs I referred to earlier.

I will, however, assume that we both use bold print for the sake of emphasis. In that case your second sentence is directly aimed at the reader as an individual. The third sentence questions the reader's intelligence (her ability to understand). The fourth sentence questions the reader's ability to understand the subject being discussed, and the fifth sentence is a plea for personal understanding. The first and final sentences makes no sense to me, although they might to you.

I am playing devil's advocate here since I actually feel that the use of bold or italic print can be useful in conveying meaning. However, the use of colored print is more annoying than any emoticon. It draws one's attention to the word and not the content.