Opt-In Email

Getting someone's permission before sending bulk e-mails is critical because without it, the e-mail is Unsolicited Bulk Email, better known as spam. The solution is to have visitors to your site join your Opt in e-mail list.

Several common forms of opt-in e-mail exist:

Unconfirmed opt-in

An uncomfirmed opt-in is when a new subscriber voluntarily gives you an email address, but you take no steps to verify its authenticity. Should a malicious user, a prankster, or a careless user give you someone else's email address, you could be considered a spammer when you start sending out offers and advertisements. The internet is largely an anonymous trading site, you need to guard against mischief.

Opt-out

An opt-out gives the user the option to be taken off a list. The business (you) simply send out your mailings to any address you receive, without confirmation. The footer section of this mailing will contain a link to click, should the user not want to receive further mailings.

Confirmed opt-in (COI)

In a confirmed opt-in, after a user registers with you, you send a confirmation email to the address they gave you. In a “single opt-in” you inform the user he will begin receiving your mail unless they send back a message saying they'd prefer not to. In a “double opt-in” the user applying for your content has to take the extra step of clicking an enclosed link to confirm their subscription.

There is still a debate over which approach should be used. Some marketers contend that requiring a confirmation simply amounts to asking permission twice before giving your potential customer value.. Others, still more concerned with the value of the contact information rather than sheer number of contacts, prefer the double opt-in approach.