How To Send Several Emails With Just One Click Of Your Mouse
© Tracey Lawton, 2004

• Are you fully utilising the features of your email programme?
  

• Do you know that with just one click of your mouse you can send multiple emails?
  

• Do you regularly send the same email to the same group of people?
  

• Would you like to send the same email to several people, but do not want the recipients to know whom else your email has been sent to?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions, then you will find below some tips on making this process much quicker through the use of the BCC (blind carbon copy) and Distribution Group facilities in your email programme.

The instructions below are based on using Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, although, from my own experience, I know that similar features are available in other email programmes.

BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) Feature

• How many times have you received an email only to see several email addresses in the To field?
  If you can see these email addresses, then so can all the other recipients.

• How many times have you received an email where the To field states 'Undisclosed Recipients'?
  You know that this email has been sent to several people, but you have no idea who else has received it.

In the second scenario, the Bcc feature was used to send the same email to several different people. One very good reason for doing this is to provide recipient confidentiality. This is especially important if you are sending out a regular mailing and you have undertaken not to make your mailing lists' details available to third parties.

How to use the Bcc feature

When composing new emails you will see that there are three fields before the subject line:

• To
  

• Cc
  
• Bcc

Tip: If you can't see the Bcc field and just have the To and Cc fields showing, select View and then Choose Bcc field.

When you compose your email, you do it in exactly the same way you usually do, EXCEPT you add your recipients to the Bcc field, NOT the To field.

I also recommend placing an email address into the To field, and, again to protect recipient privacy, add yourself to this field. I would advise creating a 'ghost' contact in your address book. Add the name 'Undisclosed Recipients' and put your email address into the email address field. That way when the email is sent out, all the recipients will see is 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the To field (they will not know who else has received the same email) and you will be sending yourself a copy so that you can see exactly what has been received by your list.

Distribution Groups

• How often have you had to send the same email to the same group of people on a regular basis?

• Have you had to add their name into the To field each time?

• Don't you wish there was a quicker and easier way of doing this?

Well, there is - Distribution Groups.

1. Go to your address book and select New.
   

2. This time, don't choose New Contact, but choose New Group.
   

3. Give your group a name, e.g. Newsletter Mailing List.
   

4. Then choose Select Members.
   

5. Go through your address book adding those contacts that are on your Newsletter Mailing List. As you are doing this, you will see that you are building up a group of people. Once you have selected everyone, choose OK.
   

6. Your new group now appears in bold letters in your address book.

Next time you want to send the same email to the same group of people, just select the group name from your address book and all the group members' email addresses will be added to your email - in either the To, Cc or Bcc fields, depending on which one you choose.

That's just ONE CLICK instead of several clicks.

Again, if you want to protect recipient privacy, follow the procedure above for Bcc and put your own email address in the To field.

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About the author:  Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business.  Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com

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