Emoticons instructions from ObesityHelp.com
How to use emoticons in your posts:
When you are posting a new message, notice the blue box called "message emoticons". Click on the down-arrow in that box. You will see a drop-down box with characters on the left and the resulting images on the right. Type the characters on the left into your message. When this message is posted the characters will be replaced by the corresponding image. So, for example, for an angel graphic (:angel:) you would type ":angel:".
We are taking steps now to make this an easier process... so look for enhancements soon.