What Does Uploading To The Carbon Black Inbox Do?

What does CC mean in e-mail, when should y'all utilise it, and when should you avoid using it?

Let's jump correct in!

CC for Email: The Basics

Let'south offset with the basics. "CC" stands for "carbon copy," and functionally represents a copy of an e-mail sent to another leaseholder. If you include the email accost of another private in the CC line, that person will receive a copy of the e-mail you send to the people in the "To" field.

In Gmail, you'll find the CC field as an selection on the right-hand side of the To field. Click it to open a new line for CC recipients.

What does CC mean in email

You tin add upwardly to 100 CC recipients in Gmail. Please don't e'er practise this.

Note that in that location's also an option for "BCC," or "blind carbon copy." We dig deeper into BCCs in this guide to BCC in e-mail; for now, sympathise that this characteristic works much like the CC characteristic, only the recipients volition not exist visible to anyone else on the email (including other BCC recipients).

It's a way to re-create someone without advertising the fact that you're copying them.

Finer Points on the Mechanics of CC

There are a few more than things to note nearly the mechanics of CCing someone. When you CC a person, or several people, all those addresses and names will exist visible to all other people included on the electronic mail (in the To field, CC field, and BCC field). This can exist both an reward and a disadvantage.

Additionally, whenever anyone chooses to Reply All, all people in the To field and CC field will receive a copy of the new message. CC'd people will have the option to Answer or Reply All, like a directly recipient. CC'd people often terminate up in the heart of extended electronic mail threads, whether that was the intention or not. In all cases, a direct Reply volition simply go to the person who drafted the bulletin—regardless of whether they started as the sender, a direct recipient, or in the CC line.

Information technology's besides worth noting that people can be selectively removed from the conversation if it begins getting out of hand. This volition not delete whatsoever previous messages from their inbox.

Meliorate your team's e-mail response time past 42.v% With EmailAnalytics

35-l% of sales go to the starting time-responding vendor.
Following up within an hour increases your chances of success by 7x.
The average professional spends 50% of their workday on email.

TRY IT Free

Why Use CC Instead of "To"?

CC'd people get the email only like people in the To field, and accept all the same power and visibility. You can besides add multiple people to the To field. And then why would you ever utilize CC instead of To?

Some people mistakenly, just understandably, believe that CC actually stands for "courtesy copy." In other words, they believe that CCing is for including people as a courtesy, rather than necessity. In this context, To serves as your "chief" field and CC serves as your "secondary" field. Information technology tin help institute a hierarchy and set expectations for your message.

Let'southward accept a look at some appropriate and inappropriate means to utilize this.

Advisable Times to CC Someone in an Email

These are some of the most common and appropriate ways to use the CC field for an email:

Keeping someone "in the loop." CCing is useful for keeping someone "in the loop" about a project. For case, let's say your boss asks you about a specific client and asks you for an update on their disposition. Later that 24-hour interval, you can send an electronic mail to the client request them how they're doing, and recapping some of your successes—CCing your boss will keep them informed that you're communicating with your client, and of the client's reply (assuming they Answer All). Merely exist conscientious hither; as we'll come across, you tin keep someone "in the loop" for bad reasons, also.
Introducing new people. The CC field is also incredibly useful for introducing people, or sending over contact data. Here, you can utilize the To field for your primary recipient, and use the CC field to introduce new people to them. This style, your introduced parties will all exist notified of the exchange.
Representing a team. If you're trying to stand for an unabridged team, information technology's helpful to CC your other team members. This is especially helpful if you're introducing a bunch of employees to a client for the first time, or if yous're making a meaningful announcement.
Showing that y'all don't need a response. The To field is often used equally a subtle manner to signal the chief parties responsible for an email; in other words, you wait a response from them. Including someone in the CC line tacitly implies that you lot don't require a response from them. It's an easy way to let people off the hook.

When Not to Use CC

There are also some ways you could breach etiquette with your apply of the CC field. Avoid these approaches:

Copying up. "Copying up" is the exercise of intentionally CCing someone'southward boss or supervisor in an endeavor to brand them look bad. For example, y'all might signal out a error they made, or ask them a passive aggressive question. Even if you're in an uncomfortable situation, this is more often than not regarded every bit bad form, and could brand you appear petty or manipulative. If y'all ever observe yourself in this position, it'southward usually better to deal with the person straight, or in farthermost cases, their supervisor direct. The passive-aggressive CC is never necessary.
Forgoing consent. If yous're introducing people, brand sure you take their consent to practise and so; not anybody is okay with you sharing their e-mail address to strangers.
Wanting a response. If you expect someone to answer a question or respond to your message, include them in the To field to let them know they're a primary recipient. The just exception here is if the email thread develops in a new direction, in which case, phone call out the CC'd person by name or get-go a new thread with them equally the direct recipient if you desire a response.
Expecting an extended discussion. If you lot're well-nigh to starting time a long discussion, empathize that every CC'd person is going to receive an alert every time there'due south a new message in that thread. If they're non an agile participant, it's merely going to badger them. Continue the participant listing to a minimum if you're anticipating an extended back-and-forth.
Inflating the group. Similarly, it'southward all-time to avoid using the CC line if you're only using it to inflate the apparent size of your group. It's ridiculously easy to add together people to the CC field, so some people use this as an alibi to tack on as many maybe relevant parties as they can think of. In almost all cases, reducing your number of recipients is the more efficient option.

What to Do If You're CC'd

If you're the 1 included in the CC field, in that location are a few of import things to continue in heed:

You probably don't need to reply. In most cases, people who are CC'd aren't expected to answer to the bulletin (or to the thread, unless chosen out by name).
Your information is shared, perhaps intentionally. Everyone on the thread can run across your proper name and email accost.
Your Reply All will become to everyone. If you striking Answer All, your reply will become to every email address that'southward publicly visible.
Not everyone knows (or follows) standard CC practices. This is by far the near important rule in this section, and maybe in the entire guide, then I'll repeat it: not anybody knows or follows standard CC practices. Accordingly, yous can never be 100 percent sure that you belong in the CC field. Y'all could take been CC'd by accident. The person could be expecting a reply from you. The sender might accept no clue what CC is actually for. Take this into account when engaging with others, especially if you don't know their email habits well.

General Rules for CC Etiquette

If you're ever confused on whether a situation calls for the use of CC, keep these general principles in mind:

Utilize CC sparingly. It only takes a click to add someone to a CC line, but that doesn't mean you can abuse the feature. Try to limit your utilise of CCs to when they're truly appropriate.
Utilize CC only for skillful. You tin utilise the CC field to embarrass, reprimand, ego-boost, or be passive aggressive, but don't be that person. Think: how would [insert wholesome role model here] CC someone?
Understand the ameliorate options. To and BCC fields are amend in many situations. Larn how to apply them well, and don't just default to CC.

If you're interested in taking a closer look at your ongoing email threads, or if you simply want a better handle on your email efficiency, consider taking EmailAnalytics for a spin.

With EmailAnalytics, yous tin can study analytics from your Gmail account (and the accounts of your teammates), including average response times, busiest days/times, and dozens of other metrics. Sign up for a free trial today, and run into firsthand what it'south all about!

Jayson is a long-fourth dimension columnist for Forbes, Entrepreneur, BusinessInsider, Inc.com, and various other major media publications, where he has authored over one,000 articles since 2012, covering engineering science, marketing, and entrepreneurship. He keynoted the 2013 MarketingProfs Academy, and won the "Entrepreneur Blogger of the Year" honour in 2015 from the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs. In 2010, he founded a marketing agency that appeared on the Inc. 5000 before selling it in January of 2019, and he is at present the CEO of EmailAnalytics.