A Teachable Moment
I received an email this morning noting how I am always “harping” about using BCc: to shield your contact’s email addresses from strangers. I was then scolded for not mentioning how to find the BCc: feature. ?
How dare I tell anyone to do something without telling them how!?All you have to do is search your software support site, favorite search engine or click the Help area within your email program, right?
Each Program is Different
Part of the problem is that most programs do not make the BCc: intuitively findable or visible. I use and highly recommend PostBox which allows you to decide what to display with every email — a BCc: box included.
I choose not to globally display the BCc: because I do not use it. On the rare occasions where I have, I open a new email, click view and check BCc: so the field displays for that particular email.
For all the other programs, the BCc: is not consistently located or easy to find and you have to search for this option.
How do you find it?
- For Outlook, if BCc: isn’t showing, open a new email message, and then click Options. On the Fields area, click Show BCc.
- Using Outlook Express, click View >All Headers.
- In Thunderbird, clicking the To: field and chose Bcc: from the drop down list.
- AOL, put the BCc: addresses in the “Copy To” box, using parentheses and separating each address with a comma.
- Yahoo!, click Cc: (at the To line’s right end). Then click BCc:.
- BCc: on Mac mail: Select View: “BCc Address Field” from the menu to make sure the menu item is checked. Type the BCc: recipient’s email address in the BCc: field
The BCc: feature should be used when emailing a bunch of onliners who don’t know each other because you don’t want to publish their email addresses without their permission or expose them to strangers.
If you would like to contribute to “How to Find the BCc:” on software or platforms I’ve not mentioned above, please do let me know. I will be pleased to add your tips and suggestions to this post.
The bottom line is it’s your responsibility to learn to use all the features of your email software program. It is also each user’s responsibility to understand the technology in which they are participating in so that they may engage in an informed and courteous manner. [ Further reading: 10 Articles that are Tagged BCc:]