Embedded Files
October 10, 2024
This week's tech tip is not in response to any one message that has been sent. Rather, it is in response to the hundreds of emails I've received and thousands I've had to sift through during FOI discoveries.
The short version(you're welcome) is that the "Reply All" option in email should almost never be used. Unfortunately, it is very easy to accidentally select "Reply All" instead of "Reply" depending on which email app you are using. For example, if you receive a message that was sent to more than one person, and are using the Outlook or Gmail app on your cell phone, it will automatically make "Reply All" the only option you can use in one click. You have to select a tiny drop-down to change to "Reply". So, if you check your email on your phone, please take care when you reply!
When should "Reply All" be used? ONLY when everyone you're sending too needs to read that response. For example, if one of my children's teachers emails me and my wife about our child, we would all use "Reply All" while communicating back and forth. This keeps everyone in the conversation. On the other hand, if I'm included in an email sent to a large distribution group, I would not "Reply All" unless it was important for everyone in that group to read. This is very, very rare.
One technique I like to employ, as the sender of many emails to large groups, is using the BCC option. BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy, and it masks who I sent the email to. By doing this, the recipients' email program has no way to "Reply All" to the original group I've sent to because it doesn't know who they are.
To save space, the BCC field isn't usually visible when composing an email. In Outlook, if you click on the "To" button to access the Global Address List, the BCC option shows up below "To" and "CC".
I hope this is useful!
-Rich
Report abuse