@vetimo wrote: "I don't think @vikalina is a fake... i'd give these new members benefit of doubt"

Did you read the whole thread along with her and @rekata's post histories? (If you do, you will see that I too originally argued for giving her the benefit of the doubt, until the charade became obvious at the end.)

@vetimo wrote: "TBH, their feeble attempts at advertisement are futile,..."

I think it's less about about advertising and more about SEO (search engine optimization). They are deliberately placing their company name on what Google regards as "authority" sites -- such as GoKunming -- in order to help convince Google's algorithms to see them as legit and rank their website higher in search results. (This aspect of SEO is less important than placing links to your site on other sites, but it's also far easier to carry off without provoking deletion by the other sites' moderators.)

@rekata's mention of Manage*art is still there in the "Where to find software" thread, so that is a durable win for their SEO: far from futile.

And it appears they were unable to complete their farce here because people immediately called them out on it. So @madutharak seemingly had to resort to posting blatant spam elsewhere that was quickly deleted.

@vetimo wrote: "But too much of a headache to police all the spammers."

As a general matter, I agree.

But I am especially aggravated by this particular type of spammer who comes on the forums with a fake request for help, which is really just the opening bid in a sort of kabuki long con leading to a spam reply in the guise of helping the OP. In the meantime, people waste their time writing sincere posts in response to what is simply a sham.

As also seen with the "Where to find software" thread: www.gokunming.com/[...]

@cloudtrapezer wrote: "Maybe if Carrefour stores weren't all claustrophobic, airless, windowless firetraps they might have succeeded."

Yes, plus they are grimy and outdated -- they have been under-investing in upkeep for years. Compared to something like a Target in the US, Carrefours are a slum (and that's not to say that Targets are even that great). I recall them being nicer in France.

Re "airless": I think they also have been trying to cut costs by limiting air conditioning in the summer. There have been several times when I have walked into a Carrefour feeling fine and walked out in a sweat without expending any particular effort there -- and then felt fine again after a few minutes outside.

@JanJal wrote "I can imagine quite a chaos because of one scooter."

What you describe seems like a rare worst-case scenario. Scooters regularly navigate all sorts of unexpected sudden hazards -- the idea that they can't manage to simply pull over to the side of the road doesn't hold water.

Sure, there might be a learning curve if China implemented more traffic stops. But once some drivers start going to prison for failing to pull over, word would get around and behavior would change fast. All the more so if state media pushes the message.