How to use BCC in addressing your e-mail

How often have you have received an e-mail with a lot of addresses at the top showing everyone it was sent to? Do you mind your address being displayed to everyone else? Wouldn't it be nice if everyone learned to use BCC? BCC means Blind Carbon Copy. When addresses are added using BCC, then the mail goes to everyone on the list but no one sees the list of names.

If you need to learn how to do this, read on. If you need to tell someone else to learn how, send them this link. (www.bear-it.com/BCC.html)

First I will discuss the basics. Then I'll give specifics for Yahoo & Gmail.

All e-mail uses the same basic format for addressing the e-mail. There is a "To" field, a "CC" field and a "BCC" field.

The mail will be sent to all addresses in all 3 fields.

The "To" field should normally be used for only one name. You can put a lot of names there but then they will all be displayed in everyones mail. You can put one name in the "To" field and a name or names in the "CC" field and they will all know who else it was sent to.

When you do not want the names displayed, you need to address all but one name using the "BCC" function. When sending to a group, I put my own name in the "To" field and all the rest in BCC.

So the next question is "How do I do it?"

If you use Yahoo, click here for detailed instruction.

If you use Gmail, click here for detailed instruction.

If you use AOL, Outlook or Outlook Express, Windows mail, or any of the many online e-mail systems (Juno, ATT, etc.) the process is much the same. Just look for the BCC.