Email Etiquette: Using CC and BCC
Ever wonder what those two little columns are underneath the TO field on your email? They say CC and BCC, but what does it mean and when should you use them?
CC stands for Carbon Copy, and BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy. They stem from the days of typewriters, where 2 or more letters could be written without having to retype them over and over again. A BCC is just like the CC, except only the recipient of the blind copy knows that he got it. He doesn't even know who else got a BCC, he just knows that he is being kept quietly in the loop. Since the invention of email, the BCC is still used for this, but it has also evolved into a powerful tool to protect privacy.
Most people want their email address only known to those he/she gives it to. When you forward a joke from your cousin Bob to all of your friends, and then they send it on to all of their friends, and they send it on to all of their friends, and on and on... eventually, your email address has been given to everyone and their brother, and their cousins and aunts and, well, you get the picture, don't you?
This is why you should NEVER send out a mass mailing that uses the TO or CC field. Think about it this way: When you send out snail mail invitations to a party, would you include the home addresses of everyone you invited in each envelope? Most people would not trust you with their personal information if they knew you were abusing it this way. An email address is no different. When you do not use the BCC option, you are giving your friends' email to complete strangers. More importantly, spam harvesters use the email addresses found in these messages to build their arsenal of addresses, adding to your collection of junk emails in your inbox.
If you want to send a mass email out, like that message from Bill Gates about giving his money away, please protect your friends and loved ones by using the BCC field! This will protect your email contacts. By using the BCC option instead of TO or CC, no one will be able to find their email address. Your friends and family will thank you!
Speaking of Bill Gates and his money, tune in next week when I teach you the secret of identifying email hoaxes and frauds!