Create a Badge

To create a new badge click the "New Badge" button in the "Badges" header of the group page.  


Here are some tips for each of the fields in the badge editing screen:

• Badge Name: It's best practice to name your badge using a phrase you would use to refer to / describe the badge awardees.  So instead of calling the badge "Extraterrestrial Physics" call it "Extraterrestrial Physics Expert".
• Badge URL: We recommend that you shorten your badge URL to something concise.
• Summary: The summary should very briefly explain what a badge awardee has done to earn this badge.  You only have 140 characters here, so keep it high level.
• Badge Image: The badge image is very important.  Much of the value of badges is in the small details that make them enjoyable to earn and display.  An attractive and clear badge image is a great start. You have two options here.
• Option 1: You can use our built-in badge image builder which, though easy to use, is currently a bit limited.
• Option 2: You can create your own badge image and upload it.  There are some great #Badge-Image-Creation-Tools out there that have their own pluses and minuses.  One tip: Only PNG images are supported and whatever size image you upload it will be resized to 500 pixels x 500 pixels.  It also looks much better when you utilize PNG transparency rather than having a white background.
• Evidence required to earn badge:  This is where you build a list of #badge-requirements, if desired. Read the section below for more info. Refer to #types-of-evidence for an overview of the various evidence formats.

Evidence-based badges vs manually-awarded badges

One of the things that sets Badge List apart from other badge hosting platforms is that our badges are able to contain lists of "required evidence". Each requirement collects evidence in a particular format and that evidence is displayed prominently on the #progress-log of each awardee.  We believe that badges are better when they are linked to evidence.  

In Badge List, badges which have requirements (called "evidence-based badges") are able to be "joined".  After joining, users are referred to as #badge-learners and are able to submit evidence which goes into their #progress-log and is later endorsed by #badge-awarders. (Refer to #Request-Feedback for more details on the endorsement process.)

There are certain types of badges for which the only relevant evidence is the fact that the #badge-experts saw fit to award it.  For example: A badge given in exchange for attending a small event or awarded to all members of a community group.  It is for these sorts of cases that Badge List supports what we call "manually-awarded badges". Manually awarded badges cannot be "joined" in the same way as evidence-based badges can.  They must be awarded manually by the #badge-awarders.

All done?

Next you'll either want to #send-invitations or go straight to #award-badges.