|A seperate email message is sent to each subscriber, so this is much more
|time-consuming and resource-intensive than the other approach.

Though time-consuming, it does provide useful feedback, if say, you wait
n-days (of whatever the timeout value is for your SMTP RETRY), or you
attempt to correct subscription notification rejects.

Thus, if you take care to correct your generated errors BEFORE you send
your announcement, you will (effectively) have a "test" message feedback,
both automated, and perhaps manual ...

Depending upon how carefully you had setup your list definitions, a
subscriber who REPLYies to a real distribution (w/o having been given an
opportunity to opt-out during the subscription notification phase) could
cause (not intentional) havoc by broadcasting back to the list.  Thus,
the subscription notification gives them a "fighting chance" to UNSUB or
otherwise express their preference in a confidential manner.

I'm willing to bet that there will be at least one of 60,000 subscribers
who does NOT want to be, nor will they remember/know that they asked to
be subscribed.

For more info about anit-spam, check our

FAQ -- http://WWW.CLAWS-AND-PAWS.COM/spam-l/

and/or to subscribe:

mailto:[log in to unmask]

/Pete Weiss