On first blush, you'd guess that dudes don't like emoticons because they're too cute. And that makes sense. Think about the fellows you know who use emoticons. Do they like Disney, animation and ...

I once attended an e-mail etiquette roundtable in which the moderator made this blanket statement: "Never, ever use emoticons in business e-mail." Big, bold words. And they're completely wrong.

The shrug emoticon, affectionately known as “shruggie” and occasionally “smugshrug,” is a well-loved piece of ASCII art; meaning everything from “I don't know” to a happy-go-lucky ...