[hey,littlecobra]

Mrs. Flatchat: If you post your reply in the box at the bottom of the thread, there aren't any smilies. If you click on the box labeled "post reply" then the screen pops up with the smilies. After you write your sentence, slide over to the left and click the appropriate smilie. In your post it will say something, like if you picked the big grinning smilie, it will say "big grin smilie", if you clicked on the frown, it'll say "frown smilie",etc. Remember to click the "post reply" box, not just type in the box at the bottom of the thread. The smilie won't show up until you click "submit reply". It took me a bit to figure this out. There will be letters and symbols, but no smilies until you actually post the reply. Like for "laugh out loud" it'll say "LOL:" or something like that...

this reads kinda confusing. sorry!

kristen in Texas

Of course, some people's software "blocks" the smilies. The Post Reply box is just under the last post, to the right. it is in a little rectangle box.