Proper Email Address Etiquette
Correctly Using To:, CC: & BCC: Addressing
TO: CC: and BCC: | Respecting Privacy | Putting it into Practice
Creating and Maintaining Group Lists | Other Email Issues
TO: CC: and BCC:
What is the Difference?
Most people know what happens when they address mail TO: people when creating a new message. However, they are less sure about the two other options, CC: (carbon copy) and BCC: (blind carbon copy).
If you are mailing the message to only one address then the TO: option should be used. When more than one person is included in the address you have to determine what is the best way to address mail so that many addresses are not listed for the recipients unless it is absolutely necessary in the context of the message.
Respecting Privacy
Avoid Long Lists of Addresses
Few things are as irritating as receiving a message your email address listed along with others for people you don't know. Not only is this poor etiquette, but it also invites misuses of those addresses by any of the recipients or anyone they might forward the message to.
Privacy of Email Addresses
When people provide you with their email address — either directly or by sending you a message — there is the implicit expectation that you will not reveal it to others without their permission.
What's the big deal?
Just as you wouldn't appreciate your place of employment giving out personal contact information, many people feel the same way about their email address.
In fact, privacy has become a serious issue on the Internet and concern will continue to grow as people realize the commercial value of their private information and as they fight a losing battle against spam (unsolicited and unwanted commercial or non-commercial email).
Spam — Out of Control
The volume of spam has become so large compared to legitimate mail that it threatens the future of email. I'm sure that you dislike spending an additional 30 percent on your Internet bill to pay for spam!
There is more information about this issue on the Avoiding Spam page.
Putting it into Practice
Use BCC: to Hide Address Lists
Blind Carbon Copy will hide the address list 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. 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 their co-recipients (if necessary). Using a generic term such as "forwarded to the production team" lets people know who else has received the message without revealing names or address information.
Use CC: to Inform
Carbon Copy will reveal the address list but is used in place of the To: to indicate that the message is sent to those persons for information purposes only. It is not used when 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@jones.com
CC: mary_smith@jones.com
BCC: sam_jones@jones.com
Subject: sales figures
Last year sales increased by 15% and costs decreased 5%.
Jim White (jim_white@jones.com)
All recipients will be aware of both John Doe and Mary Smith. Only Jim White (the sender) and Sam Jones (BCC:) are aware that Sam Jones received a copy of the 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.
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.
BCC: by Group
Your email program will have the ability to do this using a "Group" function in the Address Book. You can create a group category, then add all the appropriate addresses in that group. An address may appear in more than one group and a group may contain anywhere from one to hundreds of addresses (although many ISPs restrict you to 50 or fewer addresses at a time to discourage spam).
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.
Use Opt-in not Opt-out
The way you set up your group lists makes a big difference. Opt-in is always preferable because it places the onus on the person to get onto your list. Don't assume that they want your joke list or to know about your big sale on Friday.
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 Continuing Choices
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.
Keep in mind that spammers also include a remove option in their messages, but most are ignored (the best you can hope for) or used to confirm email addresses (the worst scenario for your privacy).
Don't Get Labelled as a Spammer
If the person you are sending to has no reason to expect messages from you they are likely to treat your message as spam.
Some jurisdictions have severe penalties for senders of unsolicited mail. You should also be sure that each person will find your mail appropriate, and not a waste of their time.
Other Email Issues
When dealing with email there are some other issues that this site deals with in other locations.
- If you use Outlook or Outlook Express, or compose your email messages with MS Word, you'll need to know that you may create an attachment called winmail.dat that is invisible to you, but creates problems for viewers not using Outlook or Outlook Express.
- Similarly, if you create email newsletters, you'll want to view the suggestions to create the best experience for your readers.
More About Related Issues
Protecting Your Online Identity
The following related pages offer more information about protecting your online identity:
- Encryption — Protecting Your Data
- Passwords — Protecting Your Electronic Signature
- Avoiding Spam — Unsolicited Emails and Mailing Lists
- Identity Theft — Obtaining Information by Deceit
Securing Your Computer
The following related pages offer more information about securing your computer:
- Security Basics — Preventing Unauthorized Access
- Firewalls — Your First Line of Defense
- ZoneAlarm Security — Recommended Firewall Products
- Anti-Virus Protection — Current Alerts, Strategies, Hoaxes & Software
- Your Privacy At Risk — Spyware Detection & Removal
- Encryption — Protecting Your Data
- Passwords — Protecting Your Electronic Signature
- Web Security — Vulnerabilities in Internet Software
- Windows Security — Vulnerabilities in Windows
www.RussHarvey.bc.ca/resources/email.html
Updated: July 23, 2010
