Sending to
Multiple Addresses, CC: and BCC:
When sending emails, some people do not realize that you can send
the same message to many people at one time. This is done by putting
more than on name in the TO field of the email. Simply put a semi-colon (;) between one name and the next. Address books
allow you to select many names. In most address books,
double-clicking on the name adds it to the TO field. Some address
books have an arrow or a button to move the names to the TO field.
If you use Outlook or Outlook Express, you can type the names
separated by a comma, then click the Check Names button. If these
names are in the address book, Outlook automatically fills in the
needed information. When you send a message using the TO field,
all of the recipients can see every other recipient's email
addresses. (You've probably seen dozens of names on some forwarded
mails!) Many people do not want so many strangers to see their email
address. With a bit of knowledge, you can mail to multiple addresses
without publicly showing the addresses in the TO field.
CC & BCC
CC stands for ‘carbon copy’ and BCC: stands for ‘Blind carbon
copy’. Remember carbon copies from the typewriter? Copies of typed
letters were made with carbon paper. The original would go to the
intended recipient. The copy was sent to someone else who also
needed the information.
CC in email is the same thing. It is used to give someone an email
because they may need the information. BCC is a blind carbon
copy. It is used to hide email addresses so that you don't disclose
everyone's email address to everyone else. Why should you hide the
address of everyone else? Because, when you do not, those addresses
can get forwarded all across the internet.
When you send twenty of your friends an email showing all twenty
email addresses and those people forward that email to twenty of
their friends, suddenly 400 people now have your friends' email
addresses. This is one way that your email address gets added to
spam mailing lists! Here is one example of CC &
BCC:
I am a middle manager with a team of 10 people reporting to me.
If I want to send an email congratulating my team, I would include
all 10 addresses in the TO field. I would also CC the company
president. This way the president would see the message and the team
would know that the president saw the message. Now suppose my team
is behind schedule. I could send an email to all 10 people and warn
them that they are behind and must work overtime. If I included the
president's address in the BCC field, the team would not be aware
that the president was informed.
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