From: takin&kanoknuan@stuck-in-a-wheelchair.org   
      
   One of Steve 'Kombat' Kramer's tricks that he used in a self-promotion   
   campaign to try and generate interest in his tour business was to create   
   sock puppets that responded to Steve's posts on Usenet praising their   
   'master' Steve, to try and give the impression that Steve was a famous and   
   well-known travel writer. Here's one of Steve's posts on rec.scuba, with   
   Steve as the author who introduces us to two of his sock puppets 'Manuel   
   Sam' and 'Okamoto-san' who both happen to read all of Steve's posts on   
   rec.scuba:   
      
   Steve's post on rec.scuba:   
   > When we arrived on Sangalaki, there was only ONE other diver on the   
   > whole island! We were introduced to him as being from Japan, and when   
   > I said "Hi, I'm Steve, this is my wife Nobuko," he immediately said   
   > "Are you Steve Kramer from Osaka?" Uhh..... yes....   "My name is   
   > Manuel Sam." he said. "I know you from the internet!! I've been   
   > reading your posts for years! You even sent me some e-mail answers I   
   > had asked for about diving in Micronesia! We followed your advice and   
   > had a ball! I'm very happy to finally meet you, and thank you in   
   > person!" Small world, eh? (Even smaller, as it turns out.)   
      
      
   snip   
      
   >   
   > A day later, four more divers arrived on the island. (And then we   
   > were   
   > seven...) All were from Japan, and all were experienced divers. Very.   
   > Introductions all around, and once again serendipity rears her head,   
   > with one of the divers, a young man named Okamoto-san, saying "Are   
   > you   
   > the Steve Kramer who lives in Osaka? Uhhh.... yes.... "I always read   
   > your posts on rec.scuba!" More laughing about the characters in the   
   > scuba newsgroup!   
      
      
      
      
      
   **It didn't take long for the regular posters on rec.scuba to wise up to   
   Steve, and he was thrown out of their group.   :o)   
      
      
      
      
   --   
   "I like cheap CD's for that [slashing]. The cheap ones snap in two and leave   
   razor sharp edges and a point at each end, but are still allowed onto planes   
   as carry-on. Fit right into the same open pocket as my reading material." -   
   Steve 'Kombat Kramer'   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)