Dec 30, 2025, 3:56 am
FlyerTalk Badges Launch
Oct 3, 2024 | 7:52 pm
#78
Moderator: Information Desk, Women Travelers, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 16,210
IBJoel are there any plans to update the notice that appears at the top of threads ("Thank you to all who contributed. We are working on a new badge system that will allow users to keep their Hotel Reviewer badges, as well as expand options for users to customize their profile with more achievements like countries visited, FlyerTalk profile age, and more.") and to pin something telling people how to update their badges? Friends started message me as a mod while I was offline and my only suggestion was, "Look for a pinned/sticky post at the top of forums for instructions," which, I now realize, was the wrong answer.
Oct 3, 2024 | 7:57 pm
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Saipan, MP 96950 USA (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands = the CNMI)
Programs: UA Silver, Hilton Silver. Life: UA .60 MM, United & Admirals Clubs (spousal), Marriott Platinum
Posts: 17,987
Oct 3, 2024 | 8:38 pm
#80
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: I hate my location and hope to flee from it soon.
Programs: Hyatt PL, PC Spire/RA, HH GOLD, SPG Green, Marriott Silver, Skywards B, CSA Gold, Lufthansa Paper,UA
Posts: 1,212
As mentioned before - badges unlocked after a test message.
Oct 3, 2024 | 9:17 pm
#81
Join Date: Mar 2024
Programs: Agoda VIP DM; Booking Genius L3; Trip PT; ... (smirk!) // ALL Accor GO; Ascott ASR SL
Posts: 611
As someone asked above, do you expect someone transiting at an airport to count as having visited that country?
What about air crew who have flown into / out of a airport?
What about air crew who have flown into / out of a airport?
Oct 3, 2024 | 9:54 pm
#83
Join Date: Dec 2023
Location: 🛫🌷🛬
Posts: 1,011
Oct 3, 2024 | 10:48 pm
#85
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: HKG/YVR/NYC
Programs: AC 75K, A3*G, AS MVPG, AA LT Gold 1MM, JL/JGC (OWS) , Marriott Titanium, Hertz 5*, Avis PC
Posts: 3,703
Ibjoel has already said that 100 countries badge *is* coming (which is the point I came to this thread to make but has now been asked many times and replied to three times)
I think it is necessary as I can honestly claim 50 countries, but I am just a fairly lightweight holiday traveller. Many of the great and good here are well north of 100 and it doesn't seem right that I have the same badge. It does seem to get exponentially harder to tick places off the list once you start getting above 125, so I can see a point to having those higher badges, but you have to remember what they are for. They are not there for a competition to show off for the top people, they are there to make people feel good about what *they* have achieved so they engage with the site more and generate additional advertising revenue. So there needs to be a large cohort with the top badges. I presume this is also why the other badges are as they are. They are there because it's what the advertisers think is useful for their demographic and for them.
A lot of people never leave their own country which will skew the global travel statistics and some geographies make totting up the early badges almost trivial. So 10 countries might seem like a lot to someone in Kansas, but someone from The Netherlands would probably wonder why you didn't get out more. But as pointed out, here on FT there are probably enough with 100+ to make it a useful badge.
On the flip side, x million milers seems to be mostly a US thing. Because non-US airlines tend not to give rewards based on total mileage I don't think people elsewhere count it as often.
I think it is necessary as I can honestly claim 50 countries, but I am just a fairly lightweight holiday traveller. Many of the great and good here are well north of 100 and it doesn't seem right that I have the same badge. It does seem to get exponentially harder to tick places off the list once you start getting above 125, so I can see a point to having those higher badges, but you have to remember what they are for. They are not there for a competition to show off for the top people, they are there to make people feel good about what *they* have achieved so they engage with the site more and generate additional advertising revenue. So there needs to be a large cohort with the top badges. I presume this is also why the other badges are as they are. They are there because it's what the advertisers think is useful for their demographic and for them.
A lot of people never leave their own country which will skew the global travel statistics and some geographies make totting up the early badges almost trivial. So 10 countries might seem like a lot to someone in Kansas, but someone from The Netherlands would probably wonder why you didn't get out more. But as pointed out, here on FT there are probably enough with 100+ to make it a useful badge.
On the flip side, x million milers seems to be mostly a US thing. Because non-US airlines tend not to give rewards based on total mileage I don't think people elsewhere count it as often.
I'm one of those 100-125 Countries folks and I couldn't hold a candle of knowledge compared to ironmanit, hauteboy, danielw, and rankourabu just to name a few.
Maybe 125+ should be the highest level, one would needs to really starting going off the Map to hit that level.
Oct 3, 2024 | 11:23 pm
#86
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Upcountry Maui, HI
Posts: 13,708
t's not very unobtrusive when accidentally rolling your pointer over a badge temporarily blanks the screen so it can pup up a tiny useless message. That message should just be a normal unobtrusive roll-over message if you really need it at all. What's up with that?
This is on my mac, desktop safari
-David
This is on my mac, desktop safari
-David
Oct 3, 2024 | 11:26 pm
#87
Original Poster
Administrator
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: Internet Brands
Posts: 4,435
Good point and I have already put in a tech ticket to fix
Oct 3, 2024 | 11:32 pm
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/2MM, DL DM/2MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond,IHG Diamond, Hyatt Globalist,Marriott Titanium
Posts: 13,207
u need an option for more than 50.Ive been to 173 countries
6 million airline lifetime miles
please adjust this; I almost want to remove my badges because its not reflective of my real totals.
Oct 4, 2024 | 12:42 am
#89
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 3,885
I am still confused what we are supposed to be communicating about hotel nights. And somewhat unclear on the overall purpose.
From a design POV, the badges are visually overwhelming on the PC site. The badges grab your eye and make the actual content less important. It's like we are now focusing on ourselves and not the (usually) valuable information and communication that we come to share among ourselves. While it can be seen as ageist to gamify the site with badges, it is also a bit ageist in the reverse direction to think that those who have traveled more, and are often older, are the ones who should be listened to more. This is nonsense. Badges are commonly used in competitive online games, we are here to share, inform and communicate, not compete.
IBJoel I appreciate your efforts and am not hating on the idea of badges. Just don't make it a competition. I say this as someone who has flown over 10 million actual, butt-in seat, miles. Does not make me better or more necessarily more knowledgeable, I come here for information just as others do.
Thank you for listening and your work, IBJoel.
From a design POV, the badges are visually overwhelming on the PC site. The badges grab your eye and make the actual content less important. It's like we are now focusing on ourselves and not the (usually) valuable information and communication that we come to share among ourselves. While it can be seen as ageist to gamify the site with badges, it is also a bit ageist in the reverse direction to think that those who have traveled more, and are often older, are the ones who should be listened to more. This is nonsense. Badges are commonly used in competitive online games, we are here to share, inform and communicate, not compete.
IBJoel I appreciate your efforts and am not hating on the idea of badges. Just don't make it a competition. I say this as someone who has flown over 10 million actual, butt-in seat, miles. Does not make me better or more necessarily more knowledgeable, I come here for information just as others do.
Thank you for listening and your work, IBJoel.