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Our internal SPAM: CC and Reply to All
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What? - CC and Reply to All
Of course they were designed for good purposes, but one of the biggest gripes about email that we see is the excessive use of CC and Reply to All. The good news is, you can do something about that.
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Why? - Reduce distraction
Everyone has their own interpretation about the meaning of being on CC. As such, it is therefore not very effective at telling people what to do when they receive an email where they are on CC. "With Reply to All", this gets even worse, since the new sender does not know why the original recipients were included. With just a few clicks, this can cause unnecessary distraction for the majority of people on the receiving end of the message.
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How? - Forward over Copy rule
Rather than using CC, use the forward over copy rule. This is the habit of choosing not to use CC or Reply to all. Instead, send your email to the originally intended addressee. Next, you go to your Sent items and forward the message to the person you would like to copy in, briefly explaining why you are informing him or her. This person is better informed (‘FYI’ is very different then ‘please keep an eye on this’), and if your original email turns into a longer conversation, the third person is not bothered by emails snowballing their inbox.
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Tips:
- Don’t use an existing email thread to open a new topic (or at least change the subject line).
- When in doubt, park your response for a little while (especially if it is an important matter).
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Know someone who can benefit from this tip (co-worker, friend, spouse or former colleague)? Feel free to share it with them by forwarding [Ctrl-F] this e-mail.If you have any questions or suggestions, we'd love to hear from you.
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Copy with care!
Email Handyman
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