Sockpuppet

Sockpuppets are not merely anonymous bloggers. They are self-promoters hiding behind anonymous identities. If my name really were Joe X. Smith and I created the identity "Flummery" in order to sing the praises of Joe X. Smith, then I'd be sock puppeting. (On the other hand, if I merely posted anonymously under the pseudonym "Flummery", then I'd simply be be hiding my identity out of distrust of denizens of the Internet.)

One of the most notorious examples of self-promoting flummery was committed by ID-creationist William Dembski when he praised one of his own books on Amazon.com. Considering Dembski's manifest predilection for deceptive shenanigans, this sockpuppetry should have surprised nobody.

Notorious exposed sockpuppets include: John Lott, "Mary Rosh,"; Lee Siegel, "Sprezzatura"; Charlie Bass "IndieNH" or "IndyNH"; John Mackey, "Rahodeb." Needless to say, others have probably not yet been caught at this game.

A PC Magazine article also describes the practice of savvy marketers who are “sockpuppeting” in unison to create phony grassroots support for products, in a practice called “astroturfing.”