In Web forums, do not abuse “smiley” and “HTML” features (when they are present). A smiley or two is usually OK, but colored fancy text tends to make people think you are lame. Seriously overusing smileys and color and fonts will make you come off like a giggly teenage girl, which is not generally a good idea unless you are more interested in sex than answers.
Oh, and I’ve just remembered this:
-- Eric S. Raymond and Rick Moen
(I won’t comment about that.)
So, how do people feel about animated emoticons?
They have their place in certain forums, LW isn’t one of those forums.