It's hard to avoid smilies/emoticons in net-based communication these days but they haven't managed to break through to being accepted punctuation marks yet. However one mark hopes to make it on to your keyboard, namely the sarcasm mark or SarcMark. This looks a bit like a variation on @ and should be used to show the reader that your statement should not be taken too literally. There's an article on this on Telegraph.co.uk, Sarcasm punctuation mark aims to put an end to email confusion. Personally, I'm quite happy using the well-tested ;-) in informal communication.
What is most amazing about this not particularly useful innovation is that it is copyrighted. To use the new punctuation mark you have to download it from the company SarcMark for $1.99. Watch their amazing commercial below and wonder. I can deal with a new punctuation mark but doing business with symbols seems rather absurd. By the way, the full stops in this post are sponsored by Acme Enterprises International ....
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