In the past, I required people to opt-in to my list before I allowed them to receive their purchased item and in all my years online, no ever complained. That I can remember.

I thought it was a good idea. After all, I wanted to build my list and having a list of actual buyers is worth more than a list of freebie seekers.

Then one day , the topic came up (as it does many times) and Paul Myers convinced me that the practice wasn’t a good one. I don’t remember all...