The internet allows us all more human contact, on a wider scale, than has ever before been possible. Unlike face to face communications, it allows us to interact with people from all over the world. Unlike the printed word, or recorded media such as films and music, it allows us to interact, in real-time, with those people. The biggest challenge in doing so, however, is establishing a personal identity and expressing the entire range of human emotion. The typed word in a post or email does little to express the nuances we usually express with voice changes, facial expression and body language. Also, because we are used to identifying people by their face and appearance it can be difficult to sort out people in an online group. This is where smilies, emoticons and avatars come in. Smilies and emoticons give us a way to express a wide range of emotions and moods, from the silly to the very angry. Avatars let us express our personality to others giving them a way to remember us and we use their avatars to remember them. All of these little tools help us make online communication even more satisfying and successful.