There is no question: Change is inevitable. The worlds (and I say that with an “S” because there are many worlds) are always changing. Sometimes the world consists of your own personal world, sometimes it’s the social media world, or the business world and… so on and so forth- you get the point. But the worlds are always changing. Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes for the worst, it just depends on who is voicing their judgements upon the topic. As time goes on, the way we communicate in all facets are seeming to change as well. Whether we’re communicating using heart eyes on a smiley face or a sentence being shortened to just a few words or letters.

Upon asking this question, I already know that the answer isn’t “no”, it’s “hell no”, but I’ll ask anyways...Are emojis okay for business emails?

Let's just say that I’m a fan now, however, if I was weighing in on this topic at this time last year, I would probably punch my current self in the face for saying that. I am honestly not sure why or when I even started to use emojis. I wouldn't say I was totally against them but I most definitely was not sold.

So now I ask you this: Would you use emojis with colleagues, customers, potential customers, etc? I've thought about this quite a bit (not to mention the times that I’ve placed emojis in an email, took them out, only to place them again).

Let me get his out: YES, I think it's okay to use emojis in business emails. For the foremost emails are cold, lifeless, personality-less communication and, oftentimes, it’s like watching wet paint dry. Normally, when you are communicating through email it's a pretty “blah” environment and it's not the easiest to detect emotion. If you can't detect emotion, it can be pretty hard to understand the context of the email.

When you’re speaking to someone face to face things like body language, tone of voice, non-verbal communication, etc. convey a lot about what someone is thinking or what they’re actually trying to get across. Example: meeting someone at a networking mixer where you exchange information and the next day you shoot out an email. To me, not only can an emoji break the ice, I think it can warm things up a little. I would even go so far as to say that it shows you are genuine and ready to make a deeper connection in developing a professional relationship.

Don't get me wrong- I am not saying litter your entire email with yellow, round, heart eyed smiley faces- but a simple smile after, “it was nice to meet you”, the two hands together when telling someone they have done a great job, or possibly the “thumbs up” on a good idea is acceptable.

I would say it’s pretty safe to say that the vast majority of emails are written on our cell phones. I know that is most definitely true for me because I avoid writing an email on a laptop or desktop like it’s the plague.

I will leave you with this: It is not ok to use inappropriate emojis or use an emoji with inappropriate intentions. I feel I shouldn't have to say that but I will anyways. I also do not advise this: If you are in a very structured, corporate environment, they tend to frown upon this kind of thing. Older people, as well, tend not to be great fans of these either.

I'll wrap up with this summary: Don't use the skull or poop emojis…. That just seems to be in poor taste if you do not know the person at all or very well. But if it's with close friends, by all means have at it.