I've always used the noseless or no-nose smiley and emoticon, i.e. this one :). It's simple, it's cute and it's more efficient! No stretching of the fingers to get to the hyphen, two characters. There have been articles saying that a nosed smiley gets more dates . I wouldn't know as I've been married for over 10 years. My argument is that people who work in IT tend to use the noseless one. Maybe it's geek culture? Maybe it's just more efficient or it's just the way things are done. No stats to back me up but I'm sure there are plenty of debates on the interwebs about it. Whilst the origins of the emoticon started with the nose, I believe evolution and efficiency has morphed into the no nose smiley. Enough said on this topic as everyone will have their own opinion, but I do believe it affects my perception of a person if I see a nosed smiley vs a no nose smiley. I have a greater affinity to those without noses! I'm sure it works ...
Thoughts and mutterings from @vontweeter