Some Internet Marketing Terminology explained.........What is an opt-in box?

What is an opt-in box?

An opt-in box is another way of saying "somewhere for your visitors to enter their email address to receive updates and emails from you". Once a visitor has given you their email address, they have “opted-in”. An opt-in box normally resembles the layout of the examples below:

Wikipedia definitions:

Opt in email is a term used when someone is given the option to receive "bulk" email, that is, email that is sent to many people at the same time. Typically, this is some sort of mailing list, newsletter, or advertising. Obtaining permission before sending e-mail is critical because without it, the email is Unsolicited Bulk Email, better known as spam.

There are several common forms of opt-in email:

Unconfirmed opt-in

A new subscriber first gives his or her email address to the list software (for instance, on a web page), but no steps are taken to make sure that this address actually belongs to the person. This can cause email from the mailing list to be considered spam because simple typos of the email address can cause the email to be sent to someone else. Malicious subscriptions are also possible, as are subscriptions that are due to spammers forging email addresses that are sent to the email address used to subscribe to the mailing list.

Confirmed opt-in (COI) or double opt-in

A new subscriber asks to be subscribed to the mailing list, but unlike unconfirmed opt-in, a confirmation email is sent to verify it was really them. Many believe the person must not be added to the mailing list unless an explicit step is taken, such as clicking a special web link or sending back a reply email. This ensures that no person can subscribe someone else out of malice or error. Mail system administrators and non-spam mailing list operators refer to this as confirmed subscription or closed-loop opt-in.
Some marketers call closed loop opt-in "double opt-in."
The term double opt-in was coined by marketers in the late ‘90s to differentiate it from single opt-in, where a new subscriber to an email list gets a confirmation email telling them they will begin to receive emails if they take no action. This is compared to double opt-in, where the new subscriber must respond to the confirmation email to be added to the list.

Some marketers contend that double opt-in is like asking for permission twice and that it constitutes unnecessary interference with someone who has already said they want to hear from the marketer.
The term double opt-in has also been co-opted by spammers, diluting its value.

Opt-out
Instead of giving people the option to be put on the list, they are automatically added and have the option to be taken out.

End of Wikipedia definitions

Here is an example of how a confirmation request email can look like after somebody opted-in to receive a newsletter :

As an internet marketer you should always try to get double opt-ins by sending your opt-ins a confirmation email – see the above screenshot. Your opt-ins are then telling you twice that they want the information: first when they opted-in and a second time when they receive the confirmation email and click the confirmation link.

The double opt-ins are better as the chances of the emails ending up in your visitor’s spam box are smaller. However in my experience a heck of a lot of emails (that I signed up for with double opt-in) end up in my spam box anyway.

This is called building a list. You have a list of 1000 people if 1000 people have opted-in.