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BCC & CC: do you use these email fields correctly?

Sarah Vouga – Waterford Technologies Pop quiz time! Do you know the correct usage and etiquette of when to use BCC and

Sarah Vouga – Waterford Technologies

Pop quiz time! Do you know the correct usage and etiquette of when to use BCC and when to use CC when sending an email? If not, we recommend you check out our Etiquette of When to CC and BCC blog post for a full explanation. After you have finished, take our pop quiz below and test your knowledge.

What does CC stand for?

a.)    Current Copy

b.)    Carbon Copy

c.)     Client Copy

(Answer: b)

What does BCC stand for?

a.)    Blind Carbon Copy

b.)    Blind Client Copy

c.)     Best Current Copy

(Answer: a)

When you CC someone in an email, your expectation is:

a.)    They respond to both you and those in the “To” field

b.)    They respond to only you

c.)     They don’t respond at all

d.)    They only respond to those it is relevant to if action/answer is required by them

(Answer: d)

When you BCC someone in an email, your expectation is:

a.)    They respond to only you

b.)    They respond to both you and those in the “To” field

c.)     They don’t respond at all

d.)    They respond to those it is relevant to if action/answer is required by them

e.)    Both a and c depending upon the contents of the email

(Answer: e)

BCC is often used for email campaigns and emails going out to a large group of people:

a.)    True

b.)    False

(Answer: a)

How did you do? Although a lot of people understand the basic rules of when to BCC and when to CC someone on an email, very few know what the appropriate response is when they have either BCC’d or CC’d someone on an email, or they themselves are BCC’d or CC’d on an email.

A quick rule of thumb for both of these fields is:

To: Used for people who are required to take action from the email

CC: Kept informed of the content, but no actions required unless stated in the email

BCC: Receive the message without any other recipients knowing