4 things you need to know about email's BCC field

(MoneyWatch) Microsoft (MSFT) Outlook's BCC field -- shorthand for the last century's Blind Carbon Copy -- is a way to send an informational copy of a message to recipients without the folks in the To and CC lines knowing. It's a handy tool to keep in your toolbox, as long as you wield it properly. Here are a few tips for getting started with this handy, but potentially dangerous, email feature.

Turn it on and off. The most vexing aspect of using BCC in modern versions of Outlook is that it's not even visible by default, and figuring out how to get to it is challenging. To see the BCC line in a new email, open a blank new message and click the Options tab in the ribbon. Then click BCC. The BCC field is now on for all new messages until you turn it off again in the same way.

Figure out who you BCC'd. As you know, recipients can't tell who you included in the BCC field, or even if you used the BCC field at all. But that doesn't mean you can't. To see who you BCC'd in a previous email, just open the Sent mail folder and open the message. You'll see the BCC field preserved for future reference.

Never violate the trust. Being included in the BCC field of an email is a sacred trust. If you're a manager, for example, and one of your employees BCC's you on an email about an overdue project, the last thing you should do is click Reply All and jump into the conversation, admonishing the recipient for being late. If you do that, the jig is up, and everyone knows that the sender was secretly informing you about the email thread. This can have a seriously draining effect on productivity and morale. Bottom line: Never, ever reply-all to a message for which you're in the BCC line.

BCC with care. The corollary to the last tip is that you -- as the sender -- should include people on the BCC line with great care. Remember that if you do, you're trusting anyone on the BCC line to not accidentally or intentionally give you up to the thread. My rule of thumb: Never BCC someone on a thread with bad news, only good news. If you have to send an FYI about bad news, send a separate email.

[ihateyouall-really]

I really wish people wouldn't send office "funnies" around without using BCC.. They're the ones that get passed on and "leak" my $&%^# email address to god knows how many idiots that I have nothing to do with..

Also.. I'm on a crusade - EDUCATE YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES!
http://imgur.com/nT9wE
(I think that sums it up nicely.. Educate your friends or the terrorists win!) :)

There's SO many sites out there with detailed instructions, there's no excuse for NOT pointing out errors in people's habits. Specially when it affects you!

[ihateyouall-really]

I really wish people wouldn't send office "funnies" around without using BCC.. They're the ones that get passed on and "leak" my $&%^# email address to god knows how many idiots that I have nothing to do with..

Also.. I'm on a crusade - EDUCATE YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES!
http://imgur.com/nT9wE
(I think that sums it up nicely.. Educate your friends or the terrorists win!) :)

There's SO many sites out there with detailed instructions, there's no excuse for NOT pointing out errors in people's habits. Specially when it affects you!

[squeak77]

Great post. I understand there are businesses that may need to use bcc more than others, but I have concerns about the potential trust issues it raises. If the email goes on long enough the blind person forgets and chimes in and then it's awkward. I guess I just don't want to be that guy that bcc's everyone.

[etolsen]

In Outlook there is no need to turn BCC on for the occasionally use...click on the To: button and the BCC field is displayed in the dialog box.

[StevenBLevy]

There is never, ever, ever a reason to use BCC on a business email. If you want to "blind" copy someone, do so by sending a copy directly to that person, perhaps with "FYI" in the first line.

The number of things that can go wrong when the BCC'd person accidentally replies-all far outweigh the two or three seconds saved by using BCC rather than Sent Mail.

The one place it makes a little sense is if you want to send a minor memo such as a joke or link to a group of individuals whom you have not gathered into a distribution list or "alias." Using BCC allows them all to see it without seeing each other's names, and it eliminates the possibility of a Reply-All. However, be aware that many people set up rules to handle incoming main, and BCC'd mail usually breaks those rules.

[[e-mail]]

BCCing is a useful tool when used properly in business as well as personal settings. Ever been in a situation where you want to quickly forward an important message to your entire family, including divorced Mother and her new husband, and divorced Father and his second new wife, since the divorce. But,, there is a catch ........... Neither blissfully weded pair are prepared to be listed together on the same email, guest list, donor, family, etc. And, the very extensive list goes much So, send the email to yourself, CC about half of the siblings and randomy select half to go with the 2 that are going BCC. Then prepare the BCC group of both Mother and Father and a couple of siblings and voila, all done. They think they were the only one that received the email. Everyone is elated and prepared to support your ideas and help you any way they possibly are able. YEA!!! It worked and all is well. Separation at the fund raiser will go off without a hitch! BCC IS EASY MONEY REASURATCH RESEARCH..

[feralferal]

BCC is a good way to email a group of people who may not know each other -- it protects their privacy by not showing their addresses to each other.

[Osprey4]

The safer approach is never to use BCC. Either include the person on the CC list, or forward the final e-mail to him/her later.

[lowthgs]

While I agree with these guidelines, there's one inherent problem. As a recent (unwilling) convert to Outlook, it seems that as far as I can tell, there's no way to know that you've been BCCed. You merely show in the "To:" field in the header. While you might be able to discern your BCC status from the context of the email, I tend to avoid "Reply All" at all costs.

[BizHacks Dave]

Actually, not quite -- if you have been BCC'd, you don't appear in the To line at all. You can tell you have been BCC'd becauase your name doesn't appaear in the TO or CC lines. That's a good point and something I should have put in the post. Thanks!

[lowthgs]

I stand corrected. Guess I've been misreading the header. (New convert and all.)