Anyone who ever has sent an email you will have noticed that next to the box with the recipient’s address there are often two acronyms, namely “cc:” And “bcc:“. But what do they mean? And how are they used? Let’s start by clarifying what these mean acronyms and why it matters know how to use them correctly.
The acronym “cc” stands for “carbon copy”, which can be translated into Italian with “carbon copy” or, more commonly, “carbon copy”. This is a series of indirect recipients, that is, people who will receive the email but who they are not directly involved in the conversation — so we won’t have to address them directly in the text. This tool is especially useful when you want to inform other people about a topic, without necessarily requiring a response or active involvement. For example, in the workplace, the cc is often used to include superiors, colleagues or collaborators who must be aware of what is happening, but who must not take part in the conversation. Each cc recipient can see the others included in the copy for information, making conversations more transparent. This can be a good way to demonstrate that information has been shared with all parties involved and, at the same time, avoid potential misunderstandings.
The acronym “ccn” instead stands for “blind carbon copy” and, conceptually, it works in the same way as the cc. However, the only difference is that each of these recipients will not be able to see which other people have received the email. This guarantees greater privacy and confidentiality. The BCC is often used when we want to prevent the recipients from knowing the identity of the other recipients, for example in mass sending of emails or newsletters. Furthermore, the BCC can be useful when you want to inform a person without letting the other participants in the conversation know.
Obviously, nothing prevents you from having both cc and bcc contacts in a single email: in this case, all recipients will be able to see the people entered in ccwhile it will be impossible to know the identity of the recipients in bcc. This is a mixed configuration which allows on the one hand to maintain transparency for some parties involved and, on the other, to guarantee greater privacy for others.
