Here’s Exactly What 'CC' Means in an Email and How It’s Different From 'BCC'
It's safe to say that the vast majority of us use email every day. Whether you are in the workplace or not, emails are the way to go for sending any type of correspondence quickly. It's a simple process, but there are still some things that can be confusing. For instance, when you type in the email address of your intended recipient, there is a little CC and BCC at the end of the input field. What does CC mean in an email? And how is it different than BCC? It all seems a little cryptic but actually goes back to the times before the Internet.
Can you even imagine a time before the World Wide Web? Letters were written or typed and sent out through inner company mail or put in an addressed envelope for the post office. It seems so tedious and time-consuming now. Think about all of the times you type up an email and have others in mind that you want to see it for informational purposes. Back in the day, a copy of the letter would have to be made and sent out to each interested party. That is where CC and BCC originated. Although the abbreviations don't exactly mean the same thing today, they do have the same intent.
We'll fill you in on the abbreviations. Once you know their meanings, you can confidently use them in your future emails. Below, you'll find exactly what CC and BCC mean.
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What Does CC Mean in an Email?
CC is short for "carbon copy." Of course, that still may seem foreign to you. Before the Internet, when paper letters were sent, a piece of carbon paper was used to create quick copies. The carbon paper was situated between two pieces of paper. When something was written or typed on the top sheet, a copy of it was made by the impressions made on the carbon paper onto the bottom sheet. That bottom sheet was then called the carbon copy.
Today, when you want to copy someone on an email, you simply use the CC field for their email address. This signifies to the recipient that they are just receiving the email for informational purposes and no reply is expected. (It probably would be less confusing if that field had the abbreviation of "FYI" instead!)
This is pretty straightforward, but then what does BCC mean?
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What Does BCC Mean?
BCC is short for "blind carbon copy." This did not originate before the Internet and, instead, was developed to differentiate between CC. Basically, the abbreviation is used for email recipients that you want to remain unseen by the other recipients.
What Are the Differences Between CC and BCC?
Both CC and BCC are used to send an email to additional people other than the intended primary recipient. The difference is that all of the email recipients can see every email address listed in both the "To" and "CC" fields. However, email addresses listed under "BCC" are invisible to the rest of the recipients. Only the sender can see those addresses.
On top of being an invisible address, BCC recipients also will not be able to see any replies made by the rest of the recipients, whereas CC recipients can.
When You Should Use CC
Use this field whenever you want another person to see the email but no action or response is required. Maybe you just want to keep your boss or a coworker in the loop on what you are sending out. Keep in mind that your primary recipient can also see everyone you are copying. This may have the added benefit of accountability to the recipient. If they know others are aware of the correspondence, they may be more apt to follow through with any requests.
Disadvantages of Using CC
Think twice before copying your boss, or anyone else, on every email that you send out. It should be used only for those emails that may be important for the recipient to have information on. Too many copies are information overload for anyone and there is a good chance that your sent message would go unread amid the clutter.
When You Should Use BCC
You should use BCC anytime you want the recipient's email address to remain private. This comes in handy when you are sending an email to a large group—there may be people who don't want their email addresses shared with everyone. Some may also want to use BCC when they don't want the other recipients to know who they are secretly copying.
Also, when you don't want the BCC recipient to have to see all of the replies made by other recipients, using BCC keeps them from getting a cluttered inbox.
Disadvantages of Using BCC
If you are using BCC primarily so that the other recipients don't know you are copying someone else, it could cause a lack of trust if this is ever found out. It's also important to know that if a BCC recipient accidentally replies to all, all of the rest of the recipients will see that reply and know that the person was secretly copied on the email.
