http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/jetpack/
It has been reported that they may be a conflict when JetPack is installed in IE8 only. The page with the Connections directory will only show a smiley face. The smiley face is used for JetPack statistics.
On the WordPress Stats configuration screen it gives this option:
Hide the stats smiley face image.
The image helps collect stats and makes the world a better place but should still work when hidden
Disable that, and all is well.
NOTE: This FAQ was written based on JetPack 1.2.2