Microsoft Outlook and the BCC Field

May I preface this computer tip by saying that email addresses are private and confidential. I get so annoyed when I receive emails addressed to a cast of thousands containing my email address. When you receive an email addressed to several people and the email addresses appear in the To field, it is a breach of everyone’s privacy. This is how some spammers get email addresses. They just copy these addresses into their database and voila! You are now receiving junk emails that you have not authorised.

If you are sending emails (or jokes) to several people, you really need to use the Bcc field. Bcc stands for Blind Carbon Copy (not Brisbane City Council in this instance). This means that whoever you send an email to (their address appears in the To field) cannot see who the other recipients are because their email addresses are hidden from view (as they are in the Bcc field).

To actually find this field, go to a New Mail Message and do one of the following:

• If you are using Word as your e-mail editor, on the toolbar, click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Options button, and click Bcc.

• If you are not using Word as your e-mail editor, on the View menu, click Bcc Field.

All new e-mail messages now display the Bcc address box!