;-)

Many of us use those silly little smiley faces in emails. Sometimes they are useful when you really want to make your emotions clear (for example, if you are teasing someone and don’t want him/her to take offense). But these expressions truly do not belong in professional emails. I believe they should be saved for emails between friends or relatives.

I have been surprised when people have, for example, written to accept an article I wrote or wanted to let me know about a conference, and then used a smiley face in that message. To be honest, it actually makes me respect the person a little less or not find him/her as professional as I would have otherwise. In my opinion, smiley faces should be kept in their informal, casual place.

--Curly