I have posted, discussed, and now I am desperately seeking a solution to my issue (I can't be the only one, either!). Here's my delema (and I am not technically oriented either, so please be patient):

We currently have 10 different company divisions, yet we house ALL contacts under one SalesForce (enterprise). Because there is some crossover, some of our contacts get multiple email messages from us. Each email blast needs to have its own distinct Opt-Out. We currently have Opt-Out buttons set up under "Subscription Information" (contact level), but every email blast service says SalesForce only allows for a Global Opt-Out. Is there a Validation Rule that would allow each seperate Campaign an Opt-Out link that would then trigger the appropriate Opt-Out "check box" to be enabled? We are manually doing this process now, then running a report to refresh the specific Opt-Outs, then adding them to a specific Opt-Out campaign. We then set criteria to only send a message to the specific Campaign members that are not in that specific Opt-Out campaign. (Are you lost yet?) The hitch then, becomes developing a validation rule that would allow the specific Campaign's Unsubscribe link to activate the specific Opt-Out check box. Can this be done? If so, can someone help me understand how that validation rule should work?

SF tech support response was as follows:

I believe  that you are referring to workflow rules. Workflow can be used to set a field value based upon a trigger criteria. However, the update only takes effect when the record is created or updated so would have to touch every record which is what you are running into now. Plus, the workflow rules would be very complex if it was possible to handle the situation you have.

Can anyone help me? Feel free to call and discuss (646) 442-3701 and ask for Sheri.