Using "Blind Carbon Copy" in your E-mail

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~ Using Bcc in your E-mail ~

Due to the recent virus hoax and klenz outbreak, it has been again brought to my attention how easy it is for outside people to get our names and e-mail addresses. Most of you out there are still putting everyone's address in either the "To:" line or the "Cc:" line, which results in you sending addresses out with the mail (plus everyone's address that are on the attachments included!) for anyone on down the forwarded line to use for whatever (compiling mailing lists, spam, etc.).

I believe that every mail program out there has what is called a "blind carbon copy" line that just isn't readily viewable to all. It would be a third address line under the "To:" and "Cc:" lines, called "BCC:", just above the "Subject:" line. Any addresses placed in this area will not show up on the receivers mail.

I put my own address in the "To:" line (because some mails won't send unless you have something there) and everyone else's in the "BCC:" one. If you don't see the "BCC:" line in the top of your New Message window (where you do your writing) then check below to see if your mail program is listed for instructions on how to turn it on.

Outlook, Outlook Express, Outlook 2000, Outlook 2001

OUTLOOK (Windows and Mac), OUTLOOK EXPRESS, OUTLOOK2000 (Windows) / OUTLOOK2001 (Macintosh):

Open a New (Untitled) Message and click on "View" and select "All Headers" (#1). Once you do this the BCC box (#2) will always be there in new messages

. view of Outlook Express 5.5 New Mail

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YAHOO:

Has the "BCC:" box after the "Cc:" box. But Yahoo will only let you put 10 addresses in the "BCC:" line in their effort to prevent their e-mail program from being used for junk mail or "spam".

view is Yahoo's new Beta version

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NETSCAPE MESSENGER:

Option 1

From the Netscape Messenger "Edit" button,

Choose "Preferences" and click on the "Mail & Newsgroups" in the list that is on the left-hand side
select "Copies and Folders"
On the main part of page, go to the section called "When sending a message, automatically:" and put a check mark (click on) at the "BCC:"
Click on "Close" and you're done.

Option 2

In Netscape Messenger,

click the New MSG button or go to the Message menu and select New Message (as you normally would to compose a new e-mail).
In the "To:" field, type your own e-mail address.
Click the next line under your e-mail address.
Click the grey "To:" button and select "BCC:"
Type the e-mail addresses of your friends.
Type your subject in the Subject field
your message in the body of the e-mail.
Click Send.

Remember: You must put at least one address in the "TO:" box or mail will not send!

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EUDORA:

Should be in your header already, under "Cc:" and above "Attachments:"
Just place all your addresses in the "BCC:" line, separated by comas

Go here for a step-by-step tutorial
on setting up your addressbook to hide your addresses:
www.eudora.com

view: Eudora from http://www.rrudder.com/safe/bcc.html

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HOTMAIL:

It's in your header already, under "Cc:" and above "Subject:"

view: Hotmail

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Lycos Mail

To send a "BCC" message, list the e-mail addresses, separated by a comma, in the "BCC" field. Please remember that there must be an e-mail address in the "To" field before a blind carbon copy can be successfully sent.

You can also "BCC" people listed in your address book.
To do this:

Click on "Send E-mail" located on the top tool bar.
Click on the "Address Book" link above the "To" field.
Click the "BCC" checkbox next to the address(es) you want to send a carbon copy to.
Click on the Send Message button at the top of the page.
Finish writing your message and
click on the Send button to send the message.

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MAILCITY:

Click on "Write Mail" on the left tool bar,
click on the "Address Book" to the right of the "To:" space.

Click the "BCC:" checkbox next to the addresses you want to send to, and

Click on "Mail To:" at the top of the page.

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AOL:

With AOL you will have to send a message to someone to see if it works (I
don't have AOL and don't know how it works. These instructions are from safemail-support@rrudder.com ). To send BCC mail to people listed in your address book:

1. Click on Write Mail on the left tool bar.
2. Click on the "Address Book" to the right of the To field
3. Click the BCC checkbox next to the addresses you want to send a mail to
4. Click on Mail To at the top of the page

and these instructions are from www.computingmagic.net :

Type your e-mail address in the To section.
Send your e-mail to your friends' e-mail addresses by putting their address in the Copy To section.
Put parentheses ( ) around the addresses. The Copy To addresses will now be hidden.

This is from Cosmic Cat Creations:

Sending a mail as a Blind Carbon Copy (BCC): Instead of seeing a To: or CC: field with numerous addresses, the recipient sees only this:

Subject: interesting information
Date: 12:01 AM PST 01-01-00
From: Momokatte
BCC: recipient

Where recipient is their own e-mail address (and only theirs).

To do this, enclose the addresses in your To: or CC: textbox with parentheses, like this:

(ScreenName1, ScreenName2, ScreenName3, Person@domain.com, Person@domain.net)

And send your mail as usual. This works with both AOL addresses and Internet addresses.

Note: If you send the e-mail to yourself, the BCC addresses won't be hidden. This is so you know who you sent it to. Don't worry, everyone else will get the mail with the BCC addresses hidden.

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JUNO:

Put your addresses in the "Cc:" box, separated by commas, with parentheses ( ) around them.
For example, putting "(myfriend1@anytown.com, myfriend2@anymail.com)" in the "Cc:" space will send blind carbon copies to
myfriend1 and myfriend2

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WEB-TV:

Sorry guys, Web-TV doesn't have this option (which should tell you something about the security of web TV!)

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TECH-TV:(from www.techtv.com )

1. Start writing a new e-mail, typing the e-mail addresses of the primary
recipients in the Send To box as usual.
2. Type the e-mail addresses of the people receiving blind carbon copies in
parentheses ( ) in the Copy To area.
For example, (gnome@techtv.com, brett@techtv.com).
3. Write your message, and send it.

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For anyone using a mail program that I didn't mention, try looking in your
"Help" contents and run a search for either "BCC" or the words "Blind Carbon
Copy" and it should bring up the instructions for using it. If all else
fails, go to Google and search for "blind carbon copy" and look through
the listings for the one for your program. Don't know the name of the e-mail
program you are using? Open your mail and click on "Help" and from the
drop-down menu should be something like "About ........(your program name)".
If you click on this it will open a window that will tell you not only the
name of your mail program but the version also.

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Guidelines for Good E-mail:

Practice good netiquette.
Choose a good Subject.
Break lines at about 72 characters to avoid ugly wraparound.
If you use a signature file, keep it to four lines or less.
When replying, trim quoted text.
When replying, watch where the message is going.
Before sending attachments, verify recipient wants and can use them.
E-mail is a text medium, avoid rich text (HTML) formats. Not all mail programs can "see" each others rich text mail, and what your receiptiant ends up with is a jumbled up mess they are unable to decipher (i.e.: Yahoo and AOL)
DO NOT SHOUT. Mixed case is easier to read.
You *can* use symbols to emphasize words.
Don't be a jerk. :-) Use smileys when appropriate.
Before flaming, take a break and have a nice cup of tea.
Chain letters are illegal. That little boy isn't dying, and Microsoft isn't going to give you $10,000 for forwarding it to 500 friends.
Virus warnings and scare messages usually are a hoax.
Program and document attachments, however, may carry viruses.
Don't spam unsolicited ads. It's like advertising by collect phone call.
E-mail has no guarantees of security or reliability.

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