Information about emotes, both generally and in BDSM

Information about types of emotes and use of emotes in text chat.

Emoting is the use of text in chat to describe actions and reactions, or express thoughts and feelings. Such descriptions and expressions are called emotes.

Emotes are useful for expressing mood or describing things and actions that are not apparent from the usual text flow in chat or graphical presentation in a virtual world. It may be things unclear or ambiguous, animations missing, too subtle, difficult or impossible to notice under the circumstances.

Emotes can be expressed in many different forms and the use of them is very individual. One example of the variations is:
" You make me smile. " (non-emote, expressed as is)
" /me smiles. " (classic emote, expressed as " Firstname Lastname smiles. ")
" *smiles* " (scene direction, expressed as is)
" *s* " (abbreviated scene direction)
" You're funny! *smiles* " (embedded scene direction)
" :-) " (smiley)
" :) " (alternative smiley)
" You're funny! :-) " (embedded smiley)

Emotes may refer both to real-life actions, e.g.
" /me goes and gets a cup of coffee. "
or online role-playing, e.g.
" /me hugs the beautiful NN hard. "

In chat, emotes will be expressed as third person actions, which is worth remembering when phrasing them, e.g.
" /me is fond of cookies and he will go buy some. "
rather than
" /me am fond of cookies and I will go buy some. "

In BDSM, emotes can be useful in the same way as in other situations, but some more specific examples of their usefulness are:
(to let a blindfolded or hooded partner know what is happening)
" /me flexes the riding crop and looks for a suitable target. "
(to specify something an animation doesn't)
" /me lets the whip hit across the belly, just above the mons. "
(to specify an action lacking animation)
" /me pinches and twists the nipples hard. "
(to give a hint of what is coming)
" /me ponders what the slave would look like suspended by her breasts. "

Some people keep libraries of emotes, and other expressions, copying and pasting, which may speed up the chatting and reduce the risk of typos. However, if such emotes and expressions are re-used too often, it is at risk of giving a "plastic" impression, as is using them when they are not quite tailored for the situation, e.g.
" NN: Hi slave! "
" /me bows and greets the noble Sir submissively. "
" PP: I'm glad to see you here. "
" /me bows and greets the noble Sir submissively. "
or
" NN: Kneel on the floor, slave! "
" /me kneels graciously on the ground and spreads her thighs. "

Emoting good is not just a matter of being good at expressing things, but also about being able to adapt the form and message to the user, as with any communication. A way of emoting that pleases one person may be a disaster with another person.

Some people emote frequently and need or expect others to do the same, to feel comfortable and get in the right mood. Others see emotes as unnecessary or ridiculous, and hardly or never use them at all. It is important to remember these differences, since neither way is right or wrong, but may still cause frustration and irritation in communication.

Emotes are sometimes used because people feel more comfortable expressing things in third person then admitting to it themselves, e.g.
" /me needs to be played with. "
rather than
" I need to be played with now, please. "

If one is unsure about how to use emotes, a good way to learn may be to listen in on others using them, getting hints and ideas on how they can be used and expressed, adapting it to suit one's own needs and personality.