What does CC and BCC mean in email, and why are they important?

What does CC mean in an email?

"CC" means "Carbon Copy." It is an email field that allows the sender to copy a message to one or more other addresses besides the primary recipient.

What does BCC mean in an email?

"BCC" stands for "Blind Carbon Copy." It works like CC, but the identities of the BCC recipients are kept secret from the other recipients.

When should you use CC in email?

There are some reasons why you should use CC when writing an email:

1. For transparency: When you want everyone involved in a project to be aware of the ongoing email conversation.
2. For inclusivity: When you want to keep people in the loop who aren't the primary recipients.
3. For assignments: When you want to assign tasks to your team members and want everyone to know who's responsible for what.
4. For information: When you want to share an important announcement or information with your team.
5. For accountability: When you want to ensure the primary recipient takes specific actions, you CC their superiors for visibility.

When should you use BCC in email?

The following arguments are good opportunities to use BCC when writing an email:

1. For privacy: When sending an email to a large group, you want to maintain the confidentiality of everyone's email addresses.
2. For discretion: When you want to inform someone about the email conversation without the knowledge of other recipients.
3. For mass emails: When you're sending newsletters or promotional emails to a large number of people.
4. For removal: When you want to remove someone from an email thread discreetly.
5. For management: When you're managing a long email thread with many recipients, and you want to limit the 'Reply All' responses.

Sample Email with CC and BCC

Let us assume a simple scenario where you, as the CEO, are emailing an employee, John, regarding a project update.

In this scenario, the primary recipient is John (To). The manager and team lead are CC'd for transparency and inclusivity. The HR is BCC'd for record-keeping without the knowledge of others.

Tip: When you write an important email, remember to double-check your recipients. This is one of the 15 rules of proper email etiquette.

Problems with using CC in Email:

Using CC or BCC in emails might cause some issues that you need to be aware of:

• Overuse: CC-ing everyone on every email can lead to information overload, and important messages may get overlooked.
• Confusion: Too many people CC'd confuse the primary recipient about who should take action.
• Lack of Privacy: CC does not hide the email addresses, which could lead to privacy issues.

When should you not use CC in email?

You should not use CC when the information being shared is confidential or sensitive. If the people you include in CC do not need to know the information, it's better not to have them.

Where to find the CC function in email?

The CC function might not be very clear the first time you use it. Here, you can find it within the most known email services:

1. Outlook: When composing a new email, click the "CC" button next to the "To" field.
2. Gmail: When composing a new email, click the "CC" link next to the "To" field.
3. iPhone: When composing a new email, tap on the "CC/BCC" field at the top of the screen.

Key takeaways about CC and BCC fields in emails:

1. CC and BCC are ways to send copies of emails to additional recipients.
2. CC is for secondary recipients; everyone can see who has been CC'd.
3. BCC is for recipients that you want to keep private from other recipients.
4. Be mindful of privacy and only CC or BCC when necessary.
5. Overuse of CC and BCC can lead to information overload and confusion.