the ":D" and "D:"

I find that even after the introduction of smilies and emoticons the use of the standard ":)" for a smile i tend not to see it as often in chat. Personally i do not use it because, well its really not an equivalent of a smile. it is a bit too creepy and reminds of of the smile of a sexual predator. Obviously physical gestures are very hard to translate on-line short of actually typing out the action. But on the other hand i find that emotions are easier to read over the Internet because it is done through symbols and words together. 

     I often use ":D" in my chats not as a smile but as an expression of happiness or amusement. I find that these faces and such are not replacements for gestures, but instead for emotions. When accompanied with text these simple faces are able to convey quite a bit of meaning and are, more importantly, much easer to read then physical gestures. "D:" would be a negative emotion such as shock, sadness, and at times just a small show of displeasure. Although, with the negative emotions often times it is mostly expressed through large font and bright colors with caps lock on, the degree of emotion is usually reflected in the length and capitalization. I find it amusing that while positive emotions are easily expressed through simple symbols, the negative ones are better done in simple text.