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Correctly Using To, CC & BCC

What's the Difference? | Putting it into Practice | Group Lists
Respecting Privacy | Other Email Issues

Proper Email Address Etiquette

Few things are as irritating as receiving a message with your email address listed along with those of people you don't know.

Not only is this poor etiquette, but it also invites misuse by any of the recipients (or anyone they might forward the message to).

The incorrect display of email addresses threatens your privacy and has caused some organizations to fail.

To:, CC: and BCC: What’s the Difference?

The To: is the default setting and works fine when sending an email to only one person.

CC: (carbon copy) and BCC: (blind carbon copy) provide additional options for privacy as well as to indicate whether the addressee is required to perform any action items mentioned in the email message.

Origins

The term comes from the days when correspondence was typed out on a typewriter. The typist would insert carbon paper between the top copy and the one or two carbon copies that were used for filing since there was no electronic version to refer to.

The best quality copy would be the top copy with a degradation as more carbon copies were produced.

Use “To:” For Private Messages

If you are sending the message to only one address then the To: option should be used.

Use “BCC:” for Lists

If you are sending the message to multiple addresses then the BCC: option should be used so that each person sees only their own address.

The only exception is when everybody already knows everyone else's email address such as a message to close family members or between members of an executive committee within an organization.

Use “CC:” Only in Special Cases

The CC: option is just as visible as addresses in the To: option. Everybody will see the addresses included there. The main difference is intent.

In most cases you'll use the CC: option when you want to keep someone in the loop but no action is required assuming that all parties know that email address. See the example below.

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Putting it into Practice

Choosing the correct placement of outgoing email addresses depends upon your relationship with the addresses and their relationship with each other.

Some email programs fail to display either of those options by default, forcing users to search the settings to enable their display within the composition window of their email program.

Use BCC: for Group Emails

Unless you are certain that every recipient knows the address of every other person and that no one will forward the email to someone that doesn't, use BCC.

Much like you wouldn't appreciate your employer providing your home address and phone number to someone you didn't know or want to have that information, accidental exposure of people's email address can be upsetting.

I suggest that you always use BCC to ensure privacy for everyone.

BCC: Reveals Only Each Recipient's Own Email Address

Blind Carbon Copy (BCC:) hide everyone's name and email address from all the recipients.

• Only the person's own address will appear.
• Some email programs place the phrase "undisclosed recipients" in the address field instead.

If your email program requires at least one To: address, enter your own since it is already revealed as sender. This will also let you see the same sent message as your recipients see it.

Use General Group Descriptions Instead

You may wish to indicate the general nature of the address list at the beginning of your message so that recipients have an idea of who the other recipients are (if necessary).

Using a generic phrase such as "forwarded to the production team" lets people know who has received the message without revealing names or address information.

Use CC: to Inform

Carbon Copy will reveal the address(es) listed but is used in place of the To: to indicate that the message is sent to those persons for information purposes only.

It should not be used if the other recipients may not know the address.

An Example

This sample message will illustrate the use and the effect of these various addressing options in a message:

To: John Doe, General Manager <john_doe@jones.com>
CC: Mary Smith, Division Manager <mary_smith@jones.com>
BCC: Sam Jones, CEO <sam_jones@jones.com>

Subject: sales figures

Last year sales increased by 15% and costs decreased 5%.

Jim White, Sales Manager <jim_white@jones.com>
  

In this example,

• all recipients will be aware of both John Doe and Mary Smith; but
• only Jim White (the sender) and Sam Jones (BCC:) are aware that Sam Jones received a copy of the message.

Individual Privacy in a Group Message

In a much more likely scenario where a large group is blind carbon copied you can appreciate the result — a message free of a long list of addresses and the preservation of individual privacy.

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Creating and Maintaining Group Lists

When sending message to large groups of people on a frequent basis it is useful to set up a "group" address to save you the effort of selecting all the recipients each time you send a message to the group.

Create a Group List

Your email program will have the ability to do this using a "Group" function in the address book.

• Create a group for each category you need.
• Add or copy all the appropriate addresses into each group as appropriate.
• An address may appear in more than one group.
• A group may contain anywhere from one to dozens of addresses.

Dealing with Larger Groups

Because many ISPs restrict you to 50 or fewer addresses, you should probably seek another method for disseminating information to larger groups. There are several companies that provide these services:

• ConstantContact provides email marketing services and more.
• MailChimp provides a e-newsletter service.

If you prefer to use your own domain for lists and need help, Islandhosting.com is a local hosting company with a lot of expertise. They've been around (as Islandnet.com) since the late 1990s. Highly recommended.

BCC: the Group

Use the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC:) addressing option to select the group address when you want to send a message to the whole group.

Everyone will receive the message listed with that group address, yet no addresses will appear on each message except that of the sender and possibly each recipient only in their own message.

Don't Add People Without Permission

The way you add subscribers to your list makes a big difference.

Not everyone wants to receive your latest joke or to know about your big sale on Friday. Limit the number and frequency of your posts.

Let People Opt-IN

Use opt-in not opt-out. Opt-in is more ethical because it places the onus on a potential subscriber to get onto your list.

Many lists now ensure that a person really has opted-in by sending a confirming message in reply to any request to get onto their list. If no confirming reply is received the address is removed automatically from the list.

Allow for Unsubscribing

You should always provide some way for people to opt-out with each message. The most common is to reply to the message with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Don't Unsubscribe from Spam

Unscrupulous list owners (spammers) may also include an unsubscribe option in their messages.

Unless you're certain the sender is legitimate, don't use any unsubscribe options.

Spammers only use the unsubscribe option to confirm your email address before selling it to other spammers.

Increase Trust in Your List

This is where companies that specialize in group email can help. These legitimate companies can be trusted to deal with the removal of your email address from a list without compromising your privacy.

Business Communications

Using email for business is critical and you want to do it right.

Avoid sarcasm or witty remarks. It is easier to offend someone via email than in person because the lack of your tone of voice and facial expressions mean your humour can be misunderstood.