Proper E-mail Ettiquette (Sending to Large Audiences)

When sending messages to a massive audience (which constitutes more than a handful or so), it is best to address them using blind carbon copy (BCC or BC).  There are a few reasons why this is best, and we'll cover them below.  When addressing an email list/group in this fashion, especially in GroupWise, you will need to have at least one address in the To: field - with the others listed under BC:.  It is easiest to put your own address in the To: field and then BC: everyone else.  Other email systems, like Zimbra/Vmail, you can eliminate the need for any address to be entered in the To: field.

Reason #1
To help protect those you correspond with and to minimize the proliferation of viruses in the wild. 

When a computer gets infected with a virus, it often scours the system for any email address it finds. It looks into the messages found (looking at the recipient list and within messages themselves) and then compiles a list of addresses. The virus then goes to work and sends messages with infected attachments (or even phishing/identity theft scams) to every address discovered on that system from everyone's address (except for the infected user).  This process used by the virus is called spoofing.

When you use blind carbon copy, it does not reveal those addresses on other people's computers (it is only maintained in your own sent folder).  So, by eliminating those addresses from being seen on the other computers, you're reducing the proliferation of viruses and thereby protecting your recipients from those viruses.

Reason #2
Internally, at SVSU, there are several departments that are converting to a new email system and improperly addressed messages get corrupted during delivery.

The current GroupWise system has a problem of forwarding internal communications, where the original message lists all of the addresses in the the To: field and sometimes in the body of the message.  The result is that non-GroupWise recipients receive what looks to be a corrupted message.  If everyone that sends email to large lists of users modifies their addressing technique to BC:, this issue will be reduced and everyone will get the original message intact.

Reason #3
Readability. 

Many email systems will attempt to show all the addresses listed, which takes up screen real estate and really makes it cumbersome to read a message on a smartphone (you have to scroll through the email list to get to the message).  Using BC: eliminates the display of those addresses, thereby maximizing viewability of the message sent (reducing having to scroll too).

Now, there are times when you don't want to BC: everyone, so that you can have open dialogue with everyone addressed (allowing everyone to Reply to All).  Sometimes, you have to address others in To:  and  CC: so that everyone knows who is included in the message and who the message is intended for - and that's okay.  The idea is on "large" distribution lists/groups you have created, to minimize the issues outlined above, as much as possible. 

Beyond our own email systems, other systems/vendors (like Hotmail) will treat large distribution lists as spam and completely reject the message.  If users simply followed this practice of using BC:, their chances of all addressed users getting their message increases.

If you have any questions about how to convert your current email groups into the BlindCopy format, feel free to contact the ITS Support Center or ITD Lab.