A recent email I received had a link to Microsoft’s FREE emoticon download site (and yes, they’ve dedicated an entire domain for it, as have millions of others.) A few questions, if I may:
- Is this Microsoft’s business plan for Hotmail? If so, should they perhaps consider reading your email, like the smarter companies do?
- Who first came up with the (orthographic?) rule that the word FREE must always be capitalised?
- Has anyone ever paid money for emoticons? Who thinks a fiver is a fair price for (a) the immense joy they bring and (b) their incredible expressive power as literary devices?
I so hope the bubble bursts quickly.