Dear Mary

29 November 2008

Your problems solved

A. As a general rule, for reasons of privacy and security, it is a breach of netiquette to expose the addresses of all recipients in a group email. It is especially indiscreet when petitions are sent around with all potential signees on display. Rather than pressing the ‘send all’ key, group emailers should bring up the Blind Carbon Copy box (bcc), which you click to create new messages. Enter the addresses of your friends in this box, each separated by a comma, and they will not see each other’s addresses on receipt. However, in your case, it is a slightly different matter. You are a member of a ‘boutique’ society made up presumably of like-minded people, many of whom already know each other. You probably ticked a box at some stage — authorising your email details to be circulated. Therefore it is fine for you to ‘steal’ the address of a fellow member. After all — they have your address too.

Q. Re: addressing envelopes containing invitations to a married couple, the female member of which is a doctor (1 November). When I was young we were told that you should address an envelope to one person only as only one person could open an envelope, unlike a letter that more than one can read. Therefore V.H. can address a letter to Dr Mary Smith (if it is a business or semi-business letter) and Mrs John Smith for social purposes.
S.S., Bickton, Hants

A. Thank you for making this valid point.

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Fiona

January 10th, 2009 6:36am Report this comment

Dear Mary,
SS makes an most ethnic point of view. When one becomes a Doctor and takes an oath of allegiance to one's profession, one is always a Doctor as the professional service extends 24/7 every week of the year.

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