Last week we went from single to double opt-in for one of our publications, MarketingSherpa, because of the torture game. I figure we ought to put Best Practices in action (practice what I preach) especially because the viral game may be played by all sorts of civilians who normally wouldn't know to visit our site and sign up for subscriptions. The hurdle that normally pre-qualifies them for a subscription is not there.
Results? 82% confirmation rate so far, which means 82% are replying to the confirmation email in the affirmative. I try to think of the remaining 18% not as "lost" circulation, but as culled out "bad" circulation. People who didn't really want our newsletter, and who might have viewed it as a pest in their inbox over time.
