Dump emoticons for Skype's 'Humoticons'

Want to bring in a human touch to your online chats? Skype has launched 'Humoticons', a new app which lets you post pictures of your actual expressions instead of the yellow emoticons.

As we spend more and more time chatting online, expressing laughter or sticking out your tongue is easy thanks to the wide range of emoticons. But are we losing our human emotions by tapping the same emoticon to express our feelings?

Skype seems to agree.

The web-chatting company has kick-started a campaign that puts a big focus on how Skype brings 'some humanity back into the world,' presumably reminding us that 'Liking' or 're-tweeting' someone isn't quite as good as talking to their actual face on a screen.

'Because nothing can replace the look on your face,' Forbes quotes Skype's global marketing director, Francie Strong as saying.

To take this idea forward, Skype has launched a Facebook app that takes up to five photos of your face from your web cam, which you can upload to the Humoticon gallery.

This way, when you want to add a smile emoticon in your online conversations, you can choose from a smile 'Humoticon', showing your smiling face instead of the staple smile emoticon.

Do you think it's a fun app or downright silly? Tell us in the comments below.