Do you feel lost navigating through the emoticons of Windows Live Messenger? Well, not anymore. Microsoft has provided an official emoticon list for its instant messaging clients. Just make sure to access the image included toward the bottom of this article in order get your hands on the keyboard shortcuts associated with each emoticon. According to the Redmond company the list is valid for Windows Live Messenger 8.1.

And let's be honest. An instant messaging conversation simply wouldn't be the same without a way to share your emotions graphically. Non verbal, text-based communication is essentially insipid, but a smiling face here and there will enable you to send much more information to your friends than simple words.

"Problem: You can't remember the keystroke or code for an emoticon. Solution: An emoticons list for Windows Live Messenger.... I know this is not original there are other lists out there, but this one is brought to you by MessengerSays and is up-to-date for Windows Live Messenger 8.1 What's up with the categories? I made up the categories below, you will notice my creativity started to diminish at the end," revealed a member of the Windows Live Messenger team.

Windows Live Messenger 8.1 was made available for download at the end of January 2007, concomitantly with the consumer launch of Windows Vista. In fact, Microsoft's latest operating system was an excuse to update its instant messaging client. Windows Live Messenger 8.1 came with full support for Vista and to this day it is the only finalized build of the IM client up for grabs.

Microsoft is currently working on Windows Live Messenger 8.5 Beta. The 8.5 build is especially designed for Windows Vista and came at the end of May. Users will notice without a doubt the redesigned graphical interface, revamped in order to integrate seamlessly with Vista and Windows Aero. You will be able to download Windows Live Messenger 8.5 from here. Additionally you can get more free emoticons via this link.