From responding to numerous business emails in a day to sending out invitations, online mailing systems are boons in our life. For example, we can use the CC section in our email if we want to send the same mail to a list of people. This saves a lot of time and we can also include the addresses of people whom we want to keep in the information cycle but don’t expect a reply.
To vs CC
The main difference between To and CC in our emails is that in the To section we mention the email addresses of people whom we directly want to send the mail and also expect a reply from them. On the other hand, we mention the email address of people in the CC section whom we just want to keep informed regarding a matter but don’t expect mandatory action to it.
In the To section of the email, the email address of the main person/people to whom one is directing the mail is written. The salutations in the content of the mail are also directed according to those mentioned in the To section. One can add more than one email address in the To section but putting at least one email address is compulsory.
The CC section of the email stands for carbon copy. It means that if a person wants to send the same mail to a group of people just to keep them in the loop and informed, he/she can use the CC section. The email addresses mentioned in the CC section are not expected to reply to the mail and they are not addressed directly in the content of the mail. It is more like an information email for the people mentioned in this section.
Comparison Table Between To and CC
| Parameters of Comparison | To | CC |
| Significance | The emails address of the person to whom one directly wants to send the mail is mentioned in the To section. | The email address of a person/people whom one wants to keep in the loop is mentioned in the CC section. |
| Salutations | The salutations in the mail will depend on the person you are addressing in the To section. | The salutations in the content of an email do not depend on the people whose address is added in the CC section. |
| Optional | While sending an email, it is mandatory to put at least one email address in the To section. | While sending an email, it is not mandatory to put any email address in the CC section. |
| Privacy | If a person is sending a mail to one address at a time by mentioning it in the To section, other people won’t know about it. | The list of people who are mentioned in the CC section can view each other names and email addresses once the mail is sent. |
| Action | Email addresses mentioned in the To section are expected to reply to a mail. | Email addresses mentioned in the CC section are not expected to take direct action. |
What is To?
Knowing the features of the emailing system is very important because of its extensive use nowadays. In the To section of an email, a person is expected to write one or more than one email address. The sender is expected to write the email address of the person in the To section who is the main recipient(s).
At least one email address is compulsory in the To section because, without an email address, it is not possible to send an email. There is no upper limit for mentioning the email addresses in the To section. In the content of the email, the salutations are directed to the people who are mentioned in the To section and thus they are expected to reply or take any action after receiving the mail.
What is CC?
CC in emails stands for carbon copy and it refers to the fact that one can send the same mail to a group of people at once. A person can mention as many people as he/she wants in the CC section as long as the mail is in relevance to them.
Using the CC feature in email is very handy as it saves a lot of time and energy. If a person sends a single mail individually to all the email addresses it would take up a lot of time. Moreover, the most important reason why the CC feature is used is to keep the important people in a loop, and at the same time, no direct action is expected from them.
People who are added to the CC list can see each other’s names and email addresses. So, if a person wants to preserve the privacy of the mailing list, there is another option called BCC (Blind Carbon Copy). A person can use this option to send the same mail to a group of people but the recipients won’t be able to see the list of people who have received the same mail.
Main Differences Between To and CC
- The emails address of the person to whom one directly wants to send the mail is mentioned in the To section. On the other hand, the email address of a person/people whom one wants to keep in the loop is mentioned in the CC section.
- The salutations in the mail will depend on the person you are addressing in the To section and it does not depend on the person/people mentioned in the CC section.
- While sending an email, it is mandatory to put at least one email address in the To section whereas it is not mandatory to put any email address in the CC section.
- If a person is sending a mail to one address at a time by mentioning it in the To section, other people won’t know about it. But, all the addresses mentioned in the CC section are visible to each other.
- Email addresses mentioned in the To section are expected to reply to a mail whereas email addresses mentioned in the CC section are not expected to take any actions.
Conclusion
One should learn the email etiquettes as it helps a lot to know better when to use which option. To and CC are two of the most important features in emails as they allow us to type the email addresses and save us a lot of time.
Depending on the matter of privacy, a person can always choose between CC and BCC. But, regardless of these two sections, one has to enter a valid email address in the To section to send an email.
References
- https://journals.lww.com/jpojournal/Citation/1988/10000/The_Carbon_Copy_II_From_Concept_to_Application.7.aspx
- https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48851712.pdf