Regardless of how you use them – in your emails or on the pages of your favorite social networking sites – smileys or animated emoticons have come a long way from just having a few strokes (and with your “head tilted to the left" to decipher their meaning) to a plethora of smiley emoticons nowadays that expresses every conceivable human emotion.

Why pay when you can get them free? Again, that question. Yes, indeed why opt for subscription service when smileys are available sans the price tag?

The truth is smiley emoticons that you download on your desktop can be so limited when you have fully appreciated the importance of smileys in your mails, or networking activities. Smileys provide the human touch on emails; they come handy when you run out of words to say and they, with higher success rate than colored fonts and highlights, catch more attention.

Would you not pay for:

More design options. Animated emoticons that are available on low-cost subscription fees usually come in wider range of options; each emotion is expressed in many ways, which provide variation, and eliminates boredom;

More vibrant, a whole lot cuter designs. Smiley providers hire illustrators to create lovable smiley-designs for both freebies and those on subscription. It can be assumed that the best designs are reserved for the use of subscribers, for the simple reason that he, who invests, deserves the best treatment.

Wider categories. Available smileys and animated emoticon designs come in different categories; those on subscription are assured of additional categories that include more trendy designs as most illustrators stay attuned to current events that help shape their clients’ choice of which smiley emoticons to use.

Technical Support. As a way of showing gratitude to their clients’ growing patronage, most companies provide technical support to paid subscribers for a glitch-free experience while using smileys.

Investing a few dollars on subscription fees add more value in the long run because as you send smileys in your email, you improve its appearance and give it more impact. As it attracts attention, you get your message across, successfully.

Would you rather have the limiting standard of free smileys? Sure, you would not want to scrimp on a few dollars and risk the chance of getting the attention you need, and of getting the results you want with your emails, right?

Smiley-providers abound on the internet however there are only a few providing subscription –privileges. Here are some tips for you to consider before you sign-up for subscription:

1.Sizes. Do smileys come in different sizes, like small, medium or large? Different sizes of smiley emoticons add more impact on the message you want to convey in your emails, as they connote the degree of your emotion as well;

2.Spyware and adware. Make sure that your animated emoticons are spyware and adware free, as most people detest the experience, in fact these are some of the reasons why smiley emoticons –paid or freebie – do not appeal to some people.

The use of smileys has indeed set an influence on how most of us communicate, and so far the result is obviously on a positive note, otherwise companies who are in business for animated emoticons or smileys would not have proliferated like mushrooms on the internet. As trends shift from simple to more vibrant designs, available among those on subscription, the use of smileys would certainly add more impact and generate more desirable results.

Would you rather wait on a freebie? Then you could be missing out on a lot of fun!