standard emoticon usage - a query

I often find myself ending a parenthetical phrase with an emoticon, and then I don't know how to close the parens. Is there a standard for this? (like this :-) ) ( or this :-) (or this :-) ) ??

(like this :-) )

There are many message boards (including this one) where emoticons will automaticlaly be converted from your text into a nice gif - In which case surely it makes sense for you to close your outer brackets resulting in:

(like this )

I don't see any difference between #1 and #3, but either one looks ok to me.

According to H W Fowler's The King's English, II Edition, Part I, Chapter III Airs and Graces, Section "Conveying that Sentiment",

The arrangement of the emoticons depends, in large part, whither the writing is intended to be published, and how the final form of the text would manifest. If there be a conversion, an automatic one by means of certain computing functions, of the emoticonal parenthetical expressions, into little images representing them, one may include, consciously, the closing parenthesis, in addition to the one intended to be taken up by the image-converter. Else, a single closing parenthesis would suffice.

These are the two possibilities you spoke about.

That Fowler was just way ahead of his time, wasn't he? Who else would have thought to write about emoticons in 1908?

Oh yes, Fowlers tend to be futuristic. Take a look at our own Martin, for example

I like my posts to be CFG's, so I'd say #1

S -> lParen S rParen | smiley

I certainly agree that if a graphic is provided then (like this

) is fine!

So about my first example, I meant to have an extra space in one of the samples so:

(example 1 :-)) // the double chin
(example 2 :-) ) // the extra space

This is the choice that perplexes me!

It does seem we all agree that:

(example 3 :-) // the unclosed

is just gauche.

Originally posted by Bert Bates:

(example 1 :-)) // the double chin
(example 2 :-) ) // the extra space

Example two - with the extra space.

Duece (coup? :-) )

[BB]:

(example 1 :-)) // the double chin
(example 2 :-) ) // the extra space

This is the choice that perplexes me!

Of the two, I'd prefer the second. But really, if there's no graphic on the system in question, I'd prefer

(example 3) :-)

It may be a little less logically sound (since the smily applies to the text in parens) but I think it's easier to read. Especially if the text in parens is longer.

I usually just use a different kind of parenthesis to make things clearer. Granted, they aren't really parens, but it is still clear what is going on. I agree with everyone above that the space helps too.

And we are techies. We can come up with many kinds of parens/surrounding marks

[example 3 :-) ]

and what if your smiley is that last thing in your sentence.

like,

Thanks. :-).

I don't have a mole on my chin.