# Badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges! **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [June 23, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416 "2020-06-23T15:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/1 "2020-06-23T15:46:26Z")
**What rewards should the new SDMB offer?** _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/1))_ Yeah, I know, that’s not the actual quote… I figured that it might be good to have a discussion about the new site and…rewards and feedback. I know there are discussions about this facet of the new site in a number of threads, but I haven’t seen a thread where this is a major focus. **Badges, tiered titles, etc.** seem to be a way for the site to manage and guide users into certain behaviors. In response to “approved” behavior, the users get to display their status relative to other users. I don’t like 'em. I see no reason to allow Discourse to mold the culture of the SDMB. I’d prefer that they just go away, or if that’s not possible, be muted. **Likes, dislikes, thumbs up, thumbs down, etc.** are another feature we could have. On the plus side, they allow the community to call attention to noteworthy posts. On the minus side, they can create a culture of status seeking, with posters trying to accumulate the most Likes, cliques organizing to promote their members (and drive down their enemies). In the worst cases, where Likes/Dislikes drive post visibility, they can foster a groupthink sameness to a board. I don’t like 'em. I don’t think we need them. The only way I could see their use for the SDMB is if the Likes/Dislikes are for the post, not the poster (so users don’t have Like counts and their status is not affected by their Like/Dislike totals). This would allow them to be used to call attention to posts with merit, but make it harder for them to be used to “assert dominance”. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/2 "2020-06-23T15:49:12Z")
I don’t mind the badges. They’re pretty unobtrusive, except for the notifications when you earn one. I know we’re all old pros at messageboarding, but new joins may not be, and the badges might help them learn. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/3 "2020-06-23T15:51:24Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I don’t mind the badges. They’re pretty unobtrusive, except for the notifications when you earn one. > > I know we’re all old pros at messageboarding, but new joins may not be, and the badges might help them learn Myabe we can call them something less “participation award” sounding? Maybe Milestones? ---
**Author:** ![kevlaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kevlaw/32/2281_2.png) [@kevlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kevlaw)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/4 "2020-06-24T11:26:33Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > I know we’re all old pros at messageboarding, but new joins may not be, and the badges might help them learn. The badges are innocuous and unobtrusive. We are seeing a lot of them now because we are established members moving to a new platform. The flood will stop soon and you’ll forget all about them. I do think that badges guide and help new members. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/5 "2020-06-24T11:36:45Z")
> [@kevlaw](#): > > I do think that badges guide and help new members. True, now that I have become accustomed to how the site works I barely receive badges anymore. 🛡 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/6 "2020-06-24T17:52:20Z")
Badges are really stupid. I got a badge for reading a thread (topic!) that had more than 100 posts. Give me a break. Ahem. I who started a topic (thread!) that got 44,000 posts. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/7 "2020-06-24T17:55:38Z")
Envy. I _want_ one of those. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/8 "2020-06-24T17:56:00Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Badges are really stupid. I got a badge for reading a thread (topic!) that had more than 100 posts. Give me a break. > > Ahem. I who started a topic (thread!) that got 44,000 posts. Lucky you! That badge is probably the most buggy one on Discourse. You can usually only get it if the long post is closed to further replies. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/9 "2020-06-24T17:56:33Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > True, now that I have become accustomed to how the site works I barely receive badges anymore. 🛡 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/b1Rw11ydBUs/hqdefault.jpg "GRADE ME!!! The Simpsons") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1Rw11ydBUs) Grade me!! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/10 "2020-06-24T18:00:12Z")
I have no idea exactly what I did. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/11 "2020-06-24T18:02:50Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Grade me!! There are two kinds of people in the world: some enjoy grading, whereas others love to be graded. I am probably both. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/12 "2020-06-24T18:03:44Z")
I got a badge for using my first emoji… in a post I made in November 2001. Woo-hoo? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/13 "2020-06-24T18:17:16Z")
I love to be graded. But the grade has to mean something. 🧐 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/14 "2020-06-24T18:19:50Z")
I chose likes and no badges, but to be frank I could give a crap either way about the badges. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/15 "2020-06-24T19:20:31Z")
I chose other. I want money🤑 ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/16 "2020-06-24T19:23:49Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I want money Everyone wants money. That’s why we work from home. 💻 🏠 (On Skype, there is an emoji with a house that switches into a laptop, and then back into a house, back into a laptop, back into a house… at nauseam.) ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/17 "2020-06-24T19:27:51Z")
Badges are useless, and are an “individual award.” Likes are indicative to _the community_ and are a good metric of the usefulness of a post. Tripler I’d rather “like” a good zinger of a reply, than get another dumb badge. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/18 "2020-06-24T19:33:39Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > Badges are useless, and are an “individual award.” Likes are indicative to _the community_ and are a good metric of the usefulness of a post. It could be argued that badges are a good metric of the usefulness of a poster. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/19 "2020-06-24T19:36:55Z")
The [Crazy in Love](https://boards.straightdope.com/badges/35/crazy-in-love) badge description is pretty funny when likes are turned off. I wonder if we’ll all get it in a couple weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416/20 "2020-06-24T19:37:19Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > It could be argued that badges are a good metric of the usefulness of a poster. So far, badges only seem to be representative of one’s ability to use the Discourse interface: “Editor!” “Autobiographer!” “First Emoji!” etc. etc. They don’t really convey usefulness of a poster to a discussion; only their ability to manipulate a keyboard. Likes are more representative of a poster’s usefulness in a conversation. Tripler Keyboard operator. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/badges-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-badges/912416.md?page=2)