Ready to show the world who you are? PokéBeach now features an exciting new badge system that allows you to display badges under your avatars! These badges will not only represent your Pokémon interests, but they will more importantly represent your accomplishments in the fandom and in this community. Wear them loud and wear them proud - many of them are honors and trophies. And only the most dedicated members will earn some of them.
As you can see on the badge list, every department on PokéBeach gives out badges (the Website Department, News Department, Forum Department, Article Department, Activities Department, Chat Room Department). The Badge program is essentially a "shared" department that covers every area of the website. It works with all the departments to insure badges are created/given out when necessary.
In addition to badges under your avatar, every PokéBeach department is also represented by a banner for its staff members, such as "News Staff" or "Forum Staff." And then under those banners are the individual badges which denote what that staff member specifically does in that department, such as a "TCG Moderator" badge for a Forum Staff member or a "Translator" badge for a News Staff member. This way it's very easy to tell what a staff member does on this website just by glancing under their avatars.
As a member you also get a banner! Most members will just get the "Member" banner, but if you are especially prolific on this website, you'll also be able to earn the special "Advanced Member" and "Elite Member" banners. More on that later.
Types of Badges
Badges come in three general categories for both regular members and staff members:
- I.D. Badges - These badges let everyone know who you are, such as your interests in Pokémon and your involvement in this website. For example, if you play the TCG all the time, or watch the TV show every Saturday, or you run a certain PokéBeach forum, you will receive a specific badge which denotes this. These I.D. badges essentially serve to help other members figure out who you are at a quick glance. The Staff I.D. badges are obviously awarded by existing staff members to new staff members. For the Member I.D. badges (such as the TCG Player badge), you can award them to yourself by visiting the User CP. Note that they may take up to an hour to appear on your profile. Again, these badges serve to let others know who you are at a quick glance and should always be "up to date" for you. If you are no longer playing the TCG, you should remove the badge from your profile. If a staff member no longer holds a position, the corresponding badge will also be removed from their profile.
- Example Member I.D. Badges: TCG Player, VG Player, Anime Watcher, PokéBeach Chat Regular, Collector, Verified Seller
- Example Staff I.D. Badges: Translator, News Reporter, TCG Forum Moderator, Chat Moderator
- Honors Badges - An honors badge is awarded by the PokéBeach staff to a member who consistently demonstrate a specific positive quality. For example, if you are someone who consistently comments on news stories with very astute commentary which always adds valuable discussion to the conversation, the staff will eventually take notice and award you the "News Commentator" badge. These badges will not be given out lightly - they are only meant for members who go above and beyond. They can also be taken away if a member no longer demonstrates the quality for which that badge stands for.
- Example Member Honors: Writing Pro (for someone with beautiful writing), Cheery Helper (always helping other members), Intelligent Poster (very astute observations, etc.)
- Example Staff Honors: Professional, Punctual, Swift (special rule: staff honors will only show on a staff member's profile page, never under their avatar)
- Awards Badges - Did you win a tournament in PokéBeach's Activities program? Were you voted as the TCG forum favorite for 2015? These badges are essentially trophies that denote a major accomplishment. Except for the Activities program awards, most of these are awarded at the end of the year.
- Example Member Awards: Most Forum Likes of 2015, 1st Place PokéBeach's March TCG Cup, Anime Forum Favorite of 2015
- Example Staff Awards: Most Forum Passion of 2015, Star TCG Organizer of 2015
Member Badge and Banner Breakdown
Staff Badge and Banner Breakdown
F.A.Q.
How do I get a certain badge?
If you feel you exemplify above and beyond what a badge stands for, the staff will most likely take notice and award it to you. If not, you should fill out the
Badge Application form to let us know.
Wait, I can nominate myself for a badge?
Yep! If you represent a positive quality and there's a badge for it, we want you to be rewarded for it. Don't feel embarrassed to let us know. However, you must be sure you represent that badge's qualities above and beyond any regular member or it will not be awarded to you by the staff.
Can I nominate other members for badges?
Absolutely! In fact, this is how we expect most members to be awarded their badges. Use the same badge form to nominate other members. Again, you will need to present us with evidence for us to even consider if you or others should get a badge, and the staff will make the decision behind closed doors.
Can I report a member for not exhibiting the qualities of a certain badge they possess?
Yes,
there is a form for this too. Just as if you report someone on the forums for breaking the rules, spamming, or any other issue, we also expect members to be on the lookout for a badge holder who does not represent the qualities of a badge they possess. However, it will again be up to the staff to decide if a member's badge should be revoked, and it will only be decided behind closed doors.
How do I get an "Advanced Member" or "Elite Banner" banner?
An "Advanced Member" banner is given to members with 5,000 posts. An "Elite Member" banner is given to those with 10,000 posts.
Long-term subscribers to PokéBeach's Article program are also given an Advanced Member banner.
What about all of those end-of-the-year badges? How do people get those?
Well it of course depends on the badge. If it's a "forum favorite" badge, such as "TCG Forum Favorite," the members will vote for who they feel deserves the badge at the end of the year. These votes will be taken into consideration by the staff, who will then award the badge do they feel is most deserving. The same basic process applies for most of the award badges.
If you win a PokéBeach Activity, you will automatically be awarded the appropriate trophy by the staff.
Wait... who runs the Badge program? Who are these people?
The badge program is run by the Badge Staff, who are lead by the Badge Head(s). You can see who is a member of the Badge program by visiting the Staff page. Or, if you see a staff member with either a "Badge Staff" or "Badge Head" banner under their avatar, you'll know they're a Badge staff member. The Badge staff operates behind closed doors and they, along with the heads of PokéBeach's departments, determine if a member deserves a badge. This way every department of the website is represented (such as the forums, chat room, etc.).
I have a suggestion for a badge that I feel we need. Where can I let the Badge Staff know?
Right here in this thread!
Can I help make the badge images? I love making sprites.
Oh we would love you for that! Please PM the Badge Heads if you're an artist and want to help us make badge images. Because that too will award you a badge!
