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If you’re a fan of emoticons, great news! You now can enjoy many more options for using emoticons on Twitter and Facebook. If you’re not a fan of emoticons, well, sorry about that because you’re probably going to be seeing a lot more of them soon.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a recent report by Twopcharts said that 44% of the 974 million existing Twitter accounts have never posted a tweet. While there are always going to be people who only visit Twitter to read, Twitter needs users to tweet so there will be engagement.
Perhaps Twitter is trying to encourage people to share more with its recent change enabling emoticons, a/k/a emojis, to be viewed in tweets by people using the website. Instead of being restricted to boring punctuation to express your emotions, you can now use illustrated emoticons to convey your feelings.
Emoticons used to appear only in the Twitter app for iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch) and Android, but would be translated into empty boxes on Twitter’s website. Now you can use your emoticons on your mobile keyboard and have them appear on your tweets, whether your tweeps are using Twitter on their computers or their phones.
Now a smiley face that used three characters : – ) only uses one 🙂 .
Unfortunately, when tweets are embedded or viewed on TweetDeck, emoticons still turn into black boxes
To take full advantage of this new capability, use your emoticon keyboard on your mobile device. See, Emoticons: To < 3 or Not to < 3? for a full explanation of how to use emoticons.
With Facebook you have a variety of choices to spice up your messages using emoticons and stickers. Have fun with Facebook by adding emoticons to your posts and chats.
Emoticons
Facebook has a hidden treasure trove of emoticons available on its website. You can insert emoticons into your Facebook comments and status updates by using codes such as (y) for a thumbs up/Like or a < 3 for a heart ♥.
You can also use your mobile emoticon keyboard when you’re on the Facebook mobile app and the emoticons will appear in your posts on the Facebook website and in the Facebook app.
Facebook Stickers
Even more lively than emoticons on Facebook are stickers. You can spice up Facebook by using Facebook Stickers, animated characters to illustrate your message.
To get Facebook stickers on your computer, open a chat box by clicking on the Message icon at the top of Facebook:
Then click on Send a New Message, or you can add a new message or an existing Chat. Click on the Smiley Face at the bottom right side of the text window.
A box will open and you’ll see basic emoticons, but you can easily add to your collection for more fun. Click on the shopping basket in the upper right corner of the box and start shopping in the Sticker Store!
You can choose from groups of Stickers, such as Despicable Me, Hacker Girl/Boy, Snoopy, and many more adorable characters. Fill up your Facebook with all of them or just choose your favorites.
[important] All of these Sticker groups are free! [/important]
See, Mashable’s 26 Bizarre Chat Stickers You’ll Never Use
After you add sticker groups to your Facebook account you can use them in Chat and in posts. To use them, click on the smiley face on the right of the text box and your sticker groups will appear in a sliding tool bar at the top of the chat box.
Click on the group you want, then choose the sticker you want to use. When you click on the sticker it will be sent immediately to the friend(s) you’re chatting with, it won’t appear in the middle of a message.
You can search for a sticker you want based on keywords, such as “dancing” or “birthday”.
Mobile
You can also use Facebook stickers in the Facebook Messenger mobile app.
[note] The Facebook Messenger App will soon be the only way to use Facebook chat on a mobile device. Chat is being removed from the Facebook app. [/note]
Open the Messenger app, then open a chat box. To the right of the text box you’ll see a happy face. Tap the happy face then tap the shopping cart to shop in the Sticker Store. You can add any group of stickers to your Messenger app for free.
To use them, tap on the happy face icon in the text box, choose the group you want to use, then tap on the sticker you want to send. As with Chat on the computer, Messenger will send the sticker instantly.
Your Thoughts
Do you like emoticons? Are you more likely to tweet now that you can use illustrated emoticons on Twitter? Have you seen any emoticons on Twitter? Have you ever used Facebook stickers? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Hi Carolyn,
That was a fun post – and it made me smile 🙂
Yes, I love emoticons (I thought it should read emotions, but now understood this is what it’s called) and even though I don’t use much of them, except for the usual smiley 🙂 like this, I do sometimes go ahead and use 1-2 more on FB chat, but that’s about all. But you gave some nice links that I’d store and keep to use later.
Having emoticons on Twitter too sounds like fun – I need to check out whether they’re enabled yet at my end as it sometimes takes a few days, but I’d surely be checking and using them. Sending a smile to someone would only brighten their day I’m sure.
Thanks for sharing this with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, after Friday’s Heartbleed article, I wanted to write about something that was fun. Emoticons are much more fun than Internet security flaws (even though security flaws are much more important!).
Emoticons can really add pizzaz to your posts on Facebook and Twitter. They can stand out from the crowd, get your posts noticed and convey your meaning effectively. You have to be careful though, not everyone likes emoticons. But I’m a big fan of them and I’m glad you like them too, Harleena! <:-P
Hi Carolyn,
I LOVE these stickers! I find they are a short-code way of communicating! I work with a developer in Romania whose English is not so great and using even the rudimentary emoticons at Yahoo Messenger has helped our communication a lot!
With the Facebook stickers I’ve found I need to test them and get to know a few that will communicate certain things I’ll use often. They are so small when you access them that it’s not easy to see exactly what they are doing and too easy, then, to send the wrong message 😮
But I’m happy to have found them! Again, you so thoroughly cover this topic Carolyn! Impressive!
Lori
Hi Lori, You’re exactly right, you do have to be careful when using those Facebook stickers. I’ve sent some that didn’t even come close to conveying my message once I saw them big and bold in chat. Then I had to explain in words what I really meant! Best to use them with a good friend first who won’t be offended if you send the wrong sticker accidentally.
Good point that a picture says a thousand words. Sometimes emoticons convey feelings that your tone of voice would convey if you were speaking the words instead of writing them. Excellent example of how emoticons and stickers can make communication easier when language barriers exist.
Thank you very much, Lori, for introducing me to Facebook stickers last year! We certainly have fun with them, and I wanted Wonder of Tech readers to be able to join in on the fun too!
Hi Carolyn,
Great news! I love emoticons and I’m one that always think I wished they had more fun ones, so that’s really good news to me.
I think that in a world of short written messages it translates our emotions better and easier 🙂
Thanks for sharing this.
Hi Sylviane, Great point. With Twitter, where you’re limited to 140 character, you can get more of your message across when you use emoticons.
I’m glad you discovered new ways to use emoticons, Sylviane. I hope you enjoy using them! :-bd
Never really tried that, but in my niche, I doubt that there will be much effect. Probably the effect will be negative. Though, for travel, entertainment, etc probably strategy will work well.
Hi Kayolan, Excellent point. Not everyone enjoys emoticons so you do have to be careful. In certain niches, emoticons may not be well received. But from the comments to this post, I think many people enjoy them.
I do love smiley faces Carolyn on Facebook and I only wish I could see them on Twitter but I use TweetDeck so they do still show up as empty boxes darn it. What I really don’t understand about that is that Twitter owns TweetDeck so why the heck aren’t they updating it along with Twitter! Urggggg
I’m not that much on all the other cutesy stuff they have around. I just I’m just into big old smiles for the most part. I’m sure with time though that I’ll get use to those too!
Thanks for sharing.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, Twitter will probably get TweetDeck and embedded tweets sorted soon so emoticons can appear there. I’m thinking that the issue was more challenging than anticipated because otherwise Twitter probably would have waited to launch this update until after the TweetDeck and embedded tweet issue was resolved.
Nothing wrong with the classic happy face, Adrienne. If you use the Twitter app on your iPhone you can insert one from your emoji keyboard when you type!
Hi Carolyn,
These Emoticon and stickers make conversation more interesting especially when you are into it. They help in passing message and in expressing the feeling. I am a great fun of using them.
Hello Fredy, Yes, if a picture says a thousand words, an emoticon must be worth at least 140 characters, right? Since you’re a fan you will probably make great use of these new ways to use emoticons.
I’ve been using them for some time and I have to say when I use them according to situations they really create something unique among all.Emoticons who don’t love them man.
Hi Ragib, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You sound like a big fan of emoticons. You’re right, they can make your message unique. But you do have to be careful because not everyone loves emoticons. I know it’s hard to believe but there are actually people who don’t like emoticons. Crazy, right? 🙂
Good to see that now I can use emoticons on Twitter as well 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂 It made my day!
Hi Glenn, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, now when you use emoticons on Twitter you don’t have to worry whether they will be seen by everyone. You can jazz up your tweets and have fun with emoticons!
Hi Carolyn,
What a great idea! I’ll be honest when I say that adding emoticons never came to mind, but now there is no doubt in my mind that adding emotion to tweets can be a great addition.
Hi Amiti, Yes, these emoticons look so much better than plain punctuation. Using emoticons can be an effective way to get your tweets noticed while conveying your message in fewer characters.
Hi Carolyn !
This is my first time here 🙂 Simply Wow ! I loved it 🙂 I feel sad because I’m too late to notice this blog. Anyway , finally found this awesome blog.
Facebook Emoticons and stickers have become popular part of the messaging and social media ecosystems, even showing up within Facebook’s Messenger. I simply love it. It’s so fun messaging and posting with stickers and emoticons 🙂 My favorite sticker is ‘ Hacker boy ‘ 😀 It’s so Cool !!
I never noticed any emoticons for my tweets, anyway that would be so cool 🙂 But, twitter has word limit and so I don’t dare to use emoticons in twitter 🙂
Thanks for sharing this . Keep writing . I’ll be around 🙂
Hi Sourav, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re not too late at all, in fact we have plenty of amazing tech we still need to cover so you’re just in time to discover us.
I’m glad you’re a fan of emoticons and stickers, they are a lot of fun! Hacker Boy and Hacker Girl are two of my favorite Facebook sticker sets.
If you have a character to spare in your tweet, you could always use an emoticon to get your tweets noticed. 🙂
Hello Carolyn,
Yes, every one would love to use smileys and emoticons which is really fun of course. I don’t know about this new emoticons.
Thanks
Hi Samir, Yes, these are fun new features that fans of emoticons will really enjoy!
Hi Carolyn,
I love emoticons! 🙂
I often use it. Emoticons are very useful for me to get closer to some people. It was like express our emotions, as its name 🙂
However, I have not used it in Twitter, in fact this is the first time I heard that Twitter has emoticons. It’s good news. 😕
and for Facebook, I very often use it 😀
Thanks for this post, Carolyn.
Nice info, indeed!
Nanda
Hi Nanda, Yes, emoticons on Twitter were tricky before because you couldn’t be sure if the reader of your tweet would see them. Now they will be visible to everyone, except those who use TweetDeck.
Since you’re a big fan of emoticons, Nanda, you will probably really enjoy these new emoticon features!
yeah, the person who uses emoticons has the more sense of humour than the person who does not. 😛
a joke with emoticons is more funnier 😀
Hi Jakaria, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Sounds as if you’re a big fan of emoticons! I hope you enjoy using these new features for emoticons on Twitter and Facebook.
yeah i am enjoying a lot, keep updating such an awesome post , we are there for you (y)
I have seen a few folks use it (over at Facebook).
Never knew how to use it myself. So, thank you for the tutorial, Carolyn!
Twitter emoticons?
Didn’t know about that. The only emoticons I really use are 🙂 😀 😉 and 😛
Yeah, not much variety, but they do get things done. The latest OS version of my phone (Windows Phone 8.1) does support a lot of emotions and symbols.
For instance: if you type, the auto suggestions show both the word ‘house’ and an icon of a house.
Not sure if it compatible on Twitter. Need to check it out!
Anyways, thank you for sharing this Carolyn 🙂
Happy Easter! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Hi Jeevan, Yes, when you see the Facebook stickers you can’t help but wonder how to get them. The good news is that getting the stickers is free and easy to do!
That’s great you have auto-suggest for icons on your phone, Jeevan. Maybe now you will be widening your use of emoticons to many more of them! :-bd
Hey Carolyn,
Nice post and Thanks for sharing this information with us. Yes, these emoticons help us in convey our feelings and also make conversation some interesting. Without emoticons, conversation become boring. I never used emoticons in twitter but after reading this post, now I also used it twitter.
Hi Sudipto, You’re right, conversations can be a lot more fun with emoticons. I hope you enjoy these new ways to use emoticons on Twitter! 🙂
Hey Carolyn,
Emoticons help us in making conversation more interesting and many people used it while communicating in Facebook. This new update of emoticons really seems interesting and surely gonna use them.
Hi Prakash, I’m glad you like these new ways to use emoticons. I hope you enjoy using them on Facebook.