Today we are trying a new experiment.

Every once in a while, I come across a post or a comment that really resonates with me, and I really wish that I could do something extra to let it be known. We made badges for this reason.

This is how badges work:

In the upper right, you can see that your hubwheel goes around and around as you use the site. Every time that hubwheel goes around, you earn a badge. You can attach one of your badges to any post or comment you like.

Once a badge is attached, it can't be removed (There is a confirmation step to make sure you don't do it accidentally). In your profile you can see the badges that people have given you, and the badges that you have given others.

A badge looks like this:

If you have badges that can be attached, you will see the "+!" next to posts and comments.

This is an experiment.

We want to be very careful about creating mechanisms that promote bad behavior, and this is one of the reasons why badges are limited. However, we feel like this extra dimension of interaction might be a cool thing, and it's scratching an itch that we've had. We will see how it works, and make adjustments if they are needed.

As always, feedback is appreciated.