The information collected (and recorded) from a person who subscribes to your opt-in list is most often the following:

- name

- email address

- IP address

- date and time

- webpage URL

The method of automatically recording contact details varies, but one thing in common with most methods is the use of a form. The form provides a mechanism for your website visitors to type in their contact details. The form will submit all the data entered into it to a software program which processes the data and adds it to a database.

The method most commonly used to manage opt-in lists is the use of an autoresponder service. The autoresponder service takes the information from the form and automatically adds it to some form of database hosted on their server.

Autoresponders also provide you with a mechanism to create and send emails to your list of subscribers. This means you don’t have to reply on software on your own computer or your internet connection.
Sending bulk emails from your computer through your internet service provider will most likely get you into trouble, even if they have agreed to receive emails from you.

One final feature of all autoresponder services is they also provide a system for subscribers to easily and automatically opt out of your list, which is a requirement of virtually all email related laws world wide.