What is “CC” in Email? Definition, Function, and How to Use It

Imagine going back to the past or before the internet, where people all over the world had to use typewriters to write letters. When you want to copy a letter, the letter must be placed on carbon paper so that what is typed is directly copied on another paper behind the letter.

When you want to send an email in the recipient column, on the right there will be a Cc and Bcc feature. Cc is an abbreviation of ” carbon copy “, while Bcc is an abbreviation of ” blind carbon copy “. However, do you understand what is meant by CC??

As reported by  How to Geek , basically, both Cc and BCc will allow you to send emails to people other than the primary recipient. Even so, you can still enter other recipients’ email addresses in the ” to ” section. So what is Cc in email? So, what is its function and how to use it? Below is a more complete explanation:

Read Also : What are the Basic Principles of Assessment? Definition, Function and Things That Influence It

Understanding Email

Electronic Mail or what we usually call Email has become a medium that is often used to send and receive messages with an internet connection. Therefore, someone who will use the internet definitely needs an internet network and digital devices such as computers, laptops, cellphones to then send and receive messages digitally.

Almost all existing services can be said to require email for various functions. Moreover, there are many functions and uses of email that can be used to send and receive messages in the form of text, videos, images and links. The way email actually works is almost the same as correspondence in general. It’s just that when someone uses email they also need to create an account first.

To create an email account, it is usually adjusted to the type of email itself. There are several popular types of email, such as Google Mail, Yahoo Mail, Outlook, iCloud and so on. Apart from that, a number of features and services in Email can then be used for your digital activities.

The functions of email itself include sending and receiving email messages from other users more easily, as a requirement for creating social media accounts, for online marketing, storing documents easily, and so on. In fact, nowadays email is often used to send job applications.

After knowing the meaning of  email  and its several functions, the next discussion is the meaning of Cc in  email .

Understanding Cc in Email

Cc can be said to be a way to send emails to people other than the main recipient. The name Cc itself was taken to adapt the concept of carbon paper which was then used to copy writing on other paper.

For example, on receipt paper. In general, the use of CC in email is used when someone wants to send an email to more than one party or team in the office. Then, in this column, a recipient can still see who received the email that was sent. For example, you send an email to HR, then you use CC to send the email to the team leader.

Therefore, it can be said that using CC is the same as using carbon paper. Apart from that, you could also say that cc actually has the same function as the column ” to “, namely sending a message to the recipient of the message.

It’s just that the recipient of the message on this CC is not the main recipient. That way, files or messages that you send to the main recipient via the ” to ” column and other message recipients using the “cc” column can still read the email that has been sent. Apart from that, by sending an email to two senders, it is hoped that the recipient of the message will immediately respond to the email.

However, usually the Cc column is used to enter additional recipients (not the main) with the aim of keeping that person connected to the  email series  without having to be obliged to respond or provide responses regarding  emails . Apart from that, Cc is also often referred to as ” courtesy copy “.

Read Also : What is an Invoice? Definition, Components, Functions, Types and Examples

Cc function

If you already know what Cc is in an email, of course you also need to understand the function of Cc. Cc itself actually functions to send emails to several other recipients simultaneously. In fact, all recipients can then see that other recipients also have a copy, and then they can also see   each other’s email addresses.

This Cc is usually used when you want to send an email or document to a colleague, but so that your boss knows what is being discussed or is being discussed, this Cc is used.

Usually, Cc is also used to be able to email  a copy of an email  to other people. The “ to ” and “Cc” parts themselves have the same function. Almost everyone whose email address is entered in these two parts will receive  the email  sent and know that other people also get  the email  .

In general, when using Gmail email, you will find columns, cc, bcc, and subject. These three things have their own meanings. The following is an explanation of the meaning of these three columns.

  • CC= cc is an abbreviation of the word  carbon copy,  which in  emails  , this column then functions to write the second recipient’s email address.
  • BCC= bcc is an abbreviation of the words  blind carbon copy , this column is the same as the cc column. However, the difference is that the bcc recipient or the second recipient will not be able to see it.
  • Subject= subject is of course the title or theme of the contents of  the email  sent.

Difference between CC and BCC

Cc and Bcc themselves are not too different, because basically the function of both is to send one  email  to several people at once. However, what is the difference between Cc and Bcc is privacy.

When you use the Cc column, the primary email recipient can then see who received a copy of the email. However, if you use Bcc, the main email recipient will not know who this email will be sent to other than themselves and those listed in the Cc column if any.

For example, when you send an email to your boss and use Cc to copy and send it to your coworkers. So, you will also send the email with Bcc to your college friends. Your boss and colleagues will not know that you also sent the email at the same time to your college friends too. This is because Bcc will not be listed in  the email  sent.

How to Use Cc Email

Most of us have certainly used email to send messages. However, not everyone knows what Cc is used for in email. Both Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail and other email facilities definitely have Cc and Bc facilities. In emails, there are 3 columns provided, namely ‘to’, ‘Cc’, ‘Bcc’. See the explanation of how to use the three columns:

around ‘it’

This column can usually be filled with the address of the main recipient of our email. Apart from that, this column can only be filled with 1   or more email addresses. You can also fill in more than one email address by using commas as separators between email addresses. For example, abcd@gmail.com, efgh@gmail.com, ijkl@yahoo.com. However, you need to pay attention that each  email recipient  will generally know who  the email was sent to.

Column ‘Cc’

Typically, a person can use Cc  email  if he wants to include additional recipients in an email thread, where the list of additional recipients will also be visible to all recipients. Apart from that, summarized in the Student Guide Series book on Introduction to the Internet by M. Agus J. Alam (2007: 59), Cc is also needed in various situations including the following:

  1. Introducing Contacts: The Cc column can be used as a way of introducing recipient contacts to each other.
  2. Maintaining Relationships with Stakeholders: For example, by using Cc email to keep management or other parties involved informed of project status developments.
  3. Communicating Urgency: Including your boss or manager in the Cc email will then show that the content of the email is important and sensitive. This method will then be useful when you have made several email requests to one party, but have not received a response.’
Read Also : What is a Chief Operating Officer (COO) ? Definition, Duties and Responsibilities, and Qualifications

Column ‘Bcc’

The Bcc column also aims to cover all existing email addresses so that the email recipient does not know who the email is addressed to. This email seems to be addressed only to the email recipient. Generally, the Bcc column is used to avoid spam emails, and is used on  mailing lists  that send emails to many people at once. How to use it is by entering the  email address  in the ‘ to ‘ column, then all recipient email addresses to ‘Bcc’.

Basically, if you don’t use this CC, there’s no problem. In other words, the use of CC is also adjusted to the needs of the email sender himself. Apart from that, when using CC it should not be for the main email recipient, so you have to be able to determine which is the main recipient and which is not the main recipient.

After knowing more about CC, hopefully you won’t be confused anymore when using CC when you want to send  an email . So, when will you use cc?