Weird goings on with what I've posted today

[#1]

This does not fit anywhere in particular, so mods can stick it they think best.

I copied part of my router's system  log and saved it as a text file. Embellishments like smileys were absent.

Then I pasted that file as part of a post in another thread of mine. Strangely, lines of that log that contained particular nature have all acquired the same Plusnet smiley, which I certainly did not insert.

I've not been at the meths or coke, so can anyone provide an explanation

[#2]

Pretty normal behaviour for online media these days.

Character combinations such as : followed by ) is the recognised shortcut for a smiley face

Similarly : followed by ( gives a frown

[#3]

I see nothing I recognise to generate them

[#4]

: followed immediately with a P gives

To prevent the auto generation of smilies put the text in a code box (</> icon, 6th from left in the rich text editor)

: followed immediately with a P gives :P

[#5]

Moderator's note:

Moved to Community Site Feedback as I think it would be more helpful here.

[#6]

@Browni has the right answer here.

Use the 'code' input in the editor to include text that you don't want formatting. The system can't differentiate between what would be processed as an emoticon or normal text. Using the code input will stop all formatting and makes that kind of data easier to read.