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Be Careful What You Send Through E-mail

This may sound like e-mail 101, but I am seeing common mistakes daily.

There is a thing called BCC (Blind Carbon Copy). When sending to a large list, use it. Unless there is some reason to share the e-mail addresses of everyone on the list to each other. This is a common mistake that is among the most annoying. If you are reply to a message like that instead of using "Reply to All", hit "Reply" unless everyone on that list needs to see your response.

I get messages from real estate agents and loan officers that are spamming me. They CC a million people and of course everyone on that list now has the complete list. So as you may have guessed, several are annoyed by the spam and "Reply to All" to voice their annoyance. I now have received a dozen Spam messages and responses. A few others see this big list and think SHAZAM! They now have a great list to send out information on their business. So now a few of them use the same list to also Spam us. Out of that group because they hit "Rely to All", the complete list appears again and the cycle continues.

Even more aggravating; there are those on the list who now believe I have some relationship with one or more people on the list that the original sender included. If someone on the list is now sending vulgar stuff you are now part of their group. They may have even added more names to the list.

When responding back and forth between more than one individual; be careful not to send the wrong stuff to the wrong person. I got an e-mail this morning from a real estate agent I am in a transaction with. In the confusion of all the back and forth messages the agent replied and inadvertently sent me a string of messages with their client. I now have information about the client and the transaction that their client that was never intended for my eyes. If that information were later used against their client, could get the agent in a ton of trouble.

So be careful what you send via e-mail and how you send it. Also be careful what you say when you post a reply. Everyone will be able to read it.

Posted by Randy L. Prothero - Hawaii REALTOR® on 08/31/2009 12:48 PM

Comments (79)

Email Education in the Technology and Tools Channel

email, real estate advice

Originally posted at: Hawaii Randy's Real Estate Opinions: Be Careful What You Send Through E-mail

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79 Comments on Be Careful What You Send Through E-mail

AUG

One of our competitors sent their whole client database to us by mistake... pretty funny! and interesting!

Randy, well put. And, if you are forwarding something on to someone else, be sure to remove the identification at the top that identifies where the email came from in the first place.

Great reminder...although I typically delete all of the spam mail instead of replying....its too annoying.

Randy,

I dislike it when the other agent copies me and their client in on the same email. It moves us closer to the edge of someone sending someone something they shouldn't in a reply...

And there are enough people making my email address public in the "To:" box with 100 other of their closest friends, any chance of keeping it private was gone years ago.

Thanks Randy for the reminder. I do get e-mails like this but from friends, sometimes more than one person will send me the same e-mail because of the cycle.

Randy...

It actually surprises me how many people don't know this. I learned the hard way. I also learned that you have to be very careful when sending out an email thread. I once accidentally hit the wrong button and sent an entire thread out to the wrong person. Good thing it was sent out to someone that cares about me. I was discussing what do to about my chin hair :)

TLW...ROAR!

Randy,

I completely agree with you...I especially get annoyed knowing my email is out there being circulated to some that I would prefer not have it. You know it will never end...there's just too many people out there that are set doing things their own way or just don't care...not sour grapes...just the way it is.

I would add learn how to mail merge in Outlook. Then when you send out 50 emails instead of Dear resident, if your name is Jim it will be Dear Jim. and the other 49 will be to them personally also. That and BCC will get you business. Thanks for the reminder.

I try not to reply to spam to much anyway, but that is interesting about the large email groups that can be easily taken advantage of. Thanks for the post.

I hate spammers. Are Realtors really that socially reclusive that they can't develop an email list from satisfied customers?

Wow Randy. Good advice. I always send out my notifications of new listings, etc., as BCC's. It's amazing to me how many people truly don't understand how email works.

I delete the email addresses of other recipients when I get an email that I would like to forward. I also let people know that if I get an email from them that has a whole list of addresses and it takes me more than a second or two to scroll down to the message, it will not get read. I open up most of my email on my Blackberry.

Agents need to be careful about the information they send out via email and to whom. Bcc works just fine.

Wow Randy, this is a good one. And, you are right, it does seem like EMAIL 101, but sometimes we need a refresher course on this stuff. I love BCC, because I don't necessarily think everyone NEEDS to know that the other guy got the same email. Makes it a little less personal on their end. Great post

I found an old client that way once.

A silly agent sent me her client database while spamming me. (Hey thanks, sugarpie).

Took a look and found my client.

Wrote her and asked if she thought I retired . . . turns out this agent had gathered her email from a sign call and kept writing her. Forwarding junk. "How do I get off her list?"

Showed her how to delete from server. :)

BCC is your friend!

Plus there are times (in my property management) I want my owner to see CC of a doc but don't want the tenant to have the owner's contact info. So BCC works there too.

Good reminders, Randy! :)

And if you forward something you sent yourself, that included a BCC, it will also show that to the person you forward to. I just don't like doing forwards at all. Sometimes I'll c&p and use quotation marks. Great reminders to always be on your toes!

Randy,

Great information. We may tend to forger once we hit that send button it is out there forever

Thank you thank you, This is one of my biggest irritations proper use of To: CC: and BCC: as well as Reply and Reply All. We all should be smart enough to know the differences between them and the appropriate times to use them. Thanks for putting my frustrations into words.

Simple and common courtesy should apply to e-mails too. who wants to scroll down a list of 100's of emails before one can read the message? If the message is important... it should not be send to that many people! thanks for the post.

Antonio

I would like to respond to #6- Are you mocking ME? I am going to forward this to everyone I know!

cheryl(let's start a chin hair club- you can be president) willis

Good points. Probably those that need the advice are not reading ;-)

This is my pet peeve...LOL! We have some well meaning friends in our group that will send out "public service announcements" and they will CC everyone instead of using the BCC - then one person will choose to call them to the carpet and point out how wrong they were in doing that and will do a REPLY ALL - double whammy! LOL

Randy, Even thought we all know this is email 101, it is amazing how many people do not know this. Getting this from friends sending jokes etc.

Also be careful when starting a new email. There may be many names(in our email lists) that start with the same letters. Make sure it is going to the right one.

I still see people email a large number of agents without going with the blind cc...thats should be a no no.

Good advice Randy. I learned this a while back but it's amazing how many people still need to be taught. I also think we should never put anything in writing if we would be upset if our mother saw it. She might.

Good reminder, Randy, especially about the 'reply to all'. On a recent email where there were at least 100 addressees, I saw about 25 of the replies.

Lots of people need to slow down a fraction of a second and give a thought to what they do - instead of auto-pilot everything. Knee jerk reactions to emails are an example.

Also - if an email arrives from someone you don't know or with a subject that you don't care about, just delete it or don't read it. The people who complain the most about unwanted or unsolicited email probably open everything because they can't stand to not know something. Is everyone in real estate a HIGH-D??

Randy,

Great post, it is a great reminder. Hows business in Oahu going.

Also, be sure to scroll ALL the way through an email before forwarding it to someone else! I accidentally forwarded an email to a client because it had information in it that they needed to know. BUT, I failed to read all the way through it and the other Realtor's clients had made some nasty remarks about my Buyers. THAT was NOT GOOD!!!

I respect my customers privacy and always send information to multiple recipients using "BCC". Plus it makes it look like I sent the item only to them.

Any reminders about the internet are welcomed. It is so easy to make a little mistake and share it with the world.

Kathy

It's also good to delete the string of e-mail addresses of those who have forwarded the e-mails to you before sending anything along.

Randy: Thanks for the tip. We should all think about what we send before sending it. If we do that, we can keep emailing. The other way is too fraught with risk these days; no one wants to get reported for spam. Thanks again!

I have made that mistake recently, but was corrected within minutes.

I recently got an email from a loan officer I do business with. He cc'd everyone on his list and when I saw the names, I decided he didn't understand privacy. I'm not doing business with him anymore.

I think it's also a good idea to point out that you shouldn't put in an email what you wouldn't say to that person if they were standing in front of you. We've all sent an email out that we regret.

Too true! Between this lesson and cut and paste, we could clean up alot of the problems folks have with email! Sorry you had to write this so many years into email but obviously the need is present!

@Cheryl...

Okay. That seriously cracked me up :)

TLW...ROAR!

Oh...

And Cheryl, you don't really think I give a crap about who knows I have a few chin hairs do you? I earned those hairs :)

TLW...ROAR!

Thank you, I can't tell you how frustrating it is to get spam email. I have gotten some great information that way, but too much junk to wade through. Thank you for the post.

You should also be careful with regards to the content you write in an e-mail. You never know if it will appear in a court case.

Randy, Reply All is a terrible email mistake, and BCC should be used liberally for privacy. Also your emails can be "forwarded" something else to keep in mind.

Agree, Agree, Agree. Couldn't have said better.

Hi Randy -- Great tip. My motto is to never say anything in e-mail that I wouldn't want published on the front page of local newspaper.

The BCC has been around for ages, but we still get emails with a huge list of email addresses in the CC box. Just printing the first page of the message can take 3 sheets of paper and the bulk are addresses I do not need to see.

Then you have the folks who love to compose address lists, so when you send it as a CC they just cut and paste the addresses into a text document and then into the address box of the message they wan to send.

There are a lot of good people out there that are now on my block list since I got tired of weeding out the useless messages I got when people pulled my address from the CC box.

For goodness sake, do a BCC when sending out the weekly agent tour list or spam us with your latest listing.

Randy,

That is absolutely great advice. I don't know why more people don't use the "BCC", or check first which reply suits the circumstances.

My regular newsletter goes out BCC because I want to protect everyone's identity.

Brian

I not only do this when sending professional emails, but also when I send personal ones out, Randy. Not everyone needs to know who the other receivers are. It's also a great way to protect the people you are sending the email, too, for the very reason you stated above: without the name in the "To" line, someone can't use the long string of names for nefarious reasons, like SPAMMing the group with a link to the latest chin hair removal therapy. (LOL @TLW)

Randy, it goes back to email "etiquette." Some people just don't get it. Your post covered some important reminders! Thanks for putting it so nicely.

Good reminders you put in there, Randy. Definietly worth the feature! Thanks!

I constantly remind my agents to never put something in writing that they do not want a judge to read. A lot of times cooling off for a day or so is the most prudent action.

Agree with you -- hate it when there is this mass bcc and the world has everyone's e-mails -- thanks for the post.

Randy - good point. I see this misuse of multiple email recipients all the time, including from respected organizations. It's a bit annoying, for one, ot have a massive email list, but it also violates the privacy. Who knows where those massive emails lists can end up.

Jeff

Randy.. You are so right on this one. We should always use the BCC unless it is a specific group when everyone needs to know they all recieved it.

SEP

Yup....those emails will get ya every time and in this case it was ..... clearly not for everyone's eyes :)

Joan W. – I see that stuff all the time.

June - That is a good point. I am careful about that one.

Sonja – I too delete the Spams, but look to see who is on their list.

Mike J. – I try to keep my clients and the other agent separated. That is a mistake that can really blow up.

Dee M. – I get them from real estate agents just about daily, pushing their listings.

TLW – That is too funny. SVW

Nick P. – I especially hate the ones, I ask to remove me from their list and they just keep sending them. My Outlook junk folder gets a workout daily.

Joe P. – Another good tip.

James L. – The most annoying thing is when someone puts you on a list like that that you never wanted to be on and now you are on 10 more such lists, because of them.

Rob A. – I have sat in classes where they instructors encouraged them to send out e-mail to all the agents in the area.

Christianne – The only time I do not BCC is when I want those on the message to be aware of who else is reading it, like transaction documents.

Liz S. – That is a good point about having to scroll down to read the message.

What is also shocking is when you get a mass email from an REO company you have a listing with. Gee it is nice to know all your other agent contacts, thanks for sharing.

I am amazed at how many agents don't realize what they are doing with the CC-'d list of 100 people! How annoying, and you're right... now other people you may not want to communicate with have your email address.

Reply all is a big pet peeve of mine. I understand there are situations in a transaction where numerous people need to be on the same page with one aspect, but there is no need to reply all with the remainder of the conversation.

Randy,

Chin hair apart I hate to receive spam and usually will delete without opening up the email. I have received emails with a list of other peoples email addresses and unless it is appropriate would only ever reply to the originator.

Good post and congratulations on the feature.

Randy,

In sales, one learns very fast the value of BCC. A few weeks ago, someone I met through AR sent myself and about 10 others an email solicitation, which was fine with me, but forgot to BCC it! A thoughtless error, to be sure, but I let him know that he had done so--constructive criticism.

Jean H. - Thank you

Candice - I also use the forward command frequently. That keeps all the attachments in place.

Mara - I use Copy and Paste all day long. It is one of the greatest inventions on the computer.

Richard - It is out there and can be forwarded 100s of time to total strangers.

Brady - Thank you

Antonio and Alexis - Good point if it is sent to too many people it is probably not important.

Cheryl W. - :)

Melissa - You are mostly correct. The folks here are techie.

Christine W. - I see that frequently.

Margaret R. - The ones that really bug me are the off color jokes that I would never send, yet I appear on the list of those receiving them.

Chuck C. - It is a no-no, but many still do not get it.

Marian - That is for sure.

Barbara - That is real bad especially if you did not want the original message.

Pat M. - You are right about opening messages.

Steven N. - Business has been picking up especially in the planned communities.

Emily L. - Ouch

David M. - I do that on a distribution message, but am careful when sending documents so that the recipient knows who I am sending it to. If I BCC to protect someone's e-mail message from being given out, I may put in the message who else I am sending it.

Team Honeycutt - With the volume of messages a day I deal with it is so easy to make a mistake.

Paul & Diane - I do that also. Another thing I do is clean up the message to delete all the junk at the bottom, like which virus filters they used or ads for free e-mail accounts.

Paul M. - Even if they do not report you, they will just spam filter you out.

Tim K. - Once it is out, it is sometimes impossible to correct.

Carol P. - You are proof that it can cost business.

David K. - Good tip.

Sarah - There are so many folks who barely know how to use a computer.

TLW - LOL

Kyle J. - I use the junk filter on Outlook. It helps me wade through the pile.

Marc S. - That is an important point!

Gary W. - Many times when I forward, I delete the contact information from the original sender.

Dave M. - Thank you

Chris O. - You never know, one of them could be printed in the paper.

John E. - I get e-mails from all over country with the agent's newest listing. Trust me I don't care that you got a new doublewide in the Ozarks.

Brian M. - As it should.

Heather C. - Good policy.

Michelle H. - Thank you

William W. - Thank you

Damon G. - I see some agents sending out jokes that shocks me. I hate that if they do not BCC my name may appear on their list.

B & C - Thank you

Jeff D. - I can predict who gets the lists by all the Spam I am getting.

Sally - You definitely need to be careful.

Mary S. - It's like playing poker and seeing the other player's cards.

Erica - That is one of the biggest sources of unwanted e-mails.

IMF - I only do that, if there has been an issue and I want everyone to see the communication.

Sharon S. - The annoying one is where they send message like that and then 20 people reply all demanding to be removed from the list.

Ian - Not good for someone in the Blog world. You would expect more.

This should fall under the heading of common sense. Not only for real estate but etiquette in general.

I am amazed at the email lists that I get from other offices... with everyone's email address in the to: place. AND all of the email addresses, one after another when it's a forward.

SEP

Robert - Etiquette and common sense. It is unfortunate that we feel the need to discuss it.

Judi - It is amazing when you look at who the sender is many times.

Robert - Etiquette and common sense. It is unfortunate that we feel the need to discuss it.

Judi - It is amazing when you look at who the sender is many times.

I love BCC it is the best way.

Not only that, but many people don't realize that when you are Cc'd or Bcc'd on an email message, when you reply, you are not just replying to the sender.

SEP

I just wanted to add that those agents/broker/lenders who are sending out these emails are most likely contradicting every word in their privacy policy statement to viewers.

SEP

Heather - I agree

Douglas - If you reply you are only responding to the sender. If you Reply-all you are responding to everyone copied. Those BCC'd will not get your response.

Nancy - If they have a privacy policy.

SEP

Randy, almost every single day I ask people NOT to send me any emails that they will be sending to everyone on their address book, if they're not going to use the bcc. A lot of them don't know what that is, even though I've been telling them this for years. It is so annoying to receive replies from everyone - all people I don't know, never met, and from the responses I see, I probably don't want to meet. I also don't like all the spam and viruses that I get, along with all their crap. It is so annoying. Hopefully after reading your blog, they will be more careful. :)

SEP

Randy - Great reminder. Unless you want to broadcast to the whole world, you really have to be careful on what to email and who gets copies. I use BCC a lot.

SEP

I hate idjits. You would think people would figure it out. Early in the year an Ocwen asset manager copied (not BCCd) but COPIED every list agent they have worked with in the past on just a regular informational update. It turned into a thread of "WHY I HATE LISTING OCWEN PROPERTIES" for about a month. Luckily I have a killer spam folder that caught most of it! I have to say it was AMUSING that people were ripping Ocwen when Ocwen Supervisors and asset managers were on that email :)

SEP

Renee - That must have really irritated their managers. LOL

SEP

Good tips, Randy! My favorite email peeve is people who hit reply all and never change the subject line. Then you get a conversation between people that goes on and on, and does not even have anything to do with the original email. So annoying! Aloha ~ Yvonne

OCT

Yvonne - I see that all the time.

NOV

Randy

All too often agents learn the mistakes the hard way when they include messages from their clients.

NOV

Tom - When they are in front of the judge it will be the hard way.

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