# What's the point of all the badges?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260>\
**Category:** Site Feedback\
**Created:** [October 30, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260 "2020-10-30T02:42:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 10\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/42 "2021-02-01T13:37:49Z")

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This is so daffy that I have to try it.

Thanks @discobot

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**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/43 "2021-02-01T13:39:38Z")

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For the record, my preceding post was interesting, cool, or useful.

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**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2021, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/44 "2021-02-01T16:54:03Z")

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We shouldn’t be encouraging **disco\_bot**. At some point, he’s going to go full Beetlejuice on us.

😱

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2021, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/45 "2021-02-02T00:45:09Z")

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I don’t find the badges helpful, nor really think about them at all. I guess they are like getting a useless attaboy or a WE HAVE NOTICED award.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/46 "2021-02-03T13:18:12Z")

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Thanks again, @discobot

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**Author:** ![discobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/discobot/32/570_2.png) [@discobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/discobot)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/47 "2021-02-03T13:18:13Z")

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Hi! To find out what I can do, say `@discobot display help`.

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**Author:** ![Tierce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2021, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/48 "2021-02-11T06:12:47Z")

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Weird - I just got an **Earned ‘First Share’** badge without doing anything. The notification links to a thread I’ve never posted in (the CS “Favorite fake product names” thread).

I had considered posting to it, but didn’t follow through. Is Discourse psychic?

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [February 12, 2021, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/49 "2021-02-12T01:26:04Z")

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@discobot  
@discobot  
@discobot

😇

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**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/50 "2021-02-18T22:07:26Z")

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> [@Tierce](#):
>
> The notification links to a thread I’ve never posted in (the CS “Favorite fake product names” thread).

You don’t need to post in it to get the sharing badge, just share a link to it via the link sharing button at the bottom of every post 🔗

Note what the URL looks like when you share it:

`https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/48?u=codinghorror`

See the part at the end?

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**Author:** ![Tierce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)\
**Post date:** [February 18, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-all-the-badges/924260/51 "2021-02-18T22:21:33Z")

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Pretty sure I never did that. Is just clicking the share icon enough to trigger the badge, even if I don’t follow through with anything? Maybe I just clicked it by mistake in passing.

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