Emphasis: To bold a word, surround it with asterisks, so hello will display hello. For underline use , so hello_ gives hello. For italics use , so hello^ gives hello. To strike out a word, surround it with two hyphens either side, so dog gives dog
Links and smileys: To insert a smiley face, , type 
or :)
For a big grin, , type 
or :o
For a wink, , type 
For a shocked face, , type 
For a sceptical face, , type 
For a confused face, , type 
For an embarrassed face, , type 
For an angry face, , type 
For a sad face, , type 
or :(
For an envious face, , type 
For a no comment face, , type 