Badge suggestion: Unsung Hero (5 accepted answers with no votes)

Question

This badge, which I'd nominate as a silver, would be awarded for every 5 accepted answers a user has with no votes. There should probably be a 24-hour window after acceptance before this badge is awarded.

Why do this, you ask? Well, one of the much-belabored issues of the SO model is that rep is more easily accumulated by facile participation in shallow, accessible, popular topics, while successful handling of difficult, high-expertise-required issues often enough goes unrewarded. This badge attempts to act against that tendency, interpreting someone who writes a lot of accepted-but-not-voted-on answers as actively helping people solve "unpopular" problems — likely, in large part, problems from new, low-rep users who lack even the power to upvote a good answer to their question, and so may go ignored by more rep-oriented users.

Assuming that behavior is a desirable sort of participation, it attempts to provide recognition, and thereby incentive, for it.

Originally I was thinking of this badge in terms strictly of upvotes, but it seems appropriate to disqualify questions from counting toward this badge if they receive downvotes; the idea is to reward helpful answers that go mostly unrecognized, not to reward bad answers. So I've modified the qualification from "no upvotes" to simply "no votes".

Answer 1

I actually like this idea. It also made me think of another badge idea.

Purple Heart - Accepted Answer with a negative score.

Answer 2

I like this idea. Pretty sure I've had a fair few quick answers accepted with no upvotes, or with an upvote only from the question asker, on SO. Also like TheTXI's suggestion!

Suggest that it should be no upvotes OTHER THAN ONE FROM THE QUESTION ASKER (if this is recorded?).

Answer 3

We now have a gold unsung hero badge, it goes to any user that has more than 10 accepted answers with zero score.

As long as least 25% of the total accepted answers are zero score answers.

This also excludes any recent answers (so only deals with answers that are older than 10 days)

Sorry Jon Skeet, no badge for you :)

Answer 4

I agree that this is a good concept but I don't necessarily agree it is a good idea. We should be giving more badges that encourage giving upvotes. I don't want a situation where I have to consider if my upvote will have a BAD effect on what the user wants. I want to ALWAYS ALWAYS upvote people.

Answer 5

I like the badge in that it sounds 'fun', but I'm not sure about what behavior it encourages (and that's what badges are about after all). I suppose you could say it adds an incentive to answer questions for users with <10 that can't also upvote your answer. On the flip side, it might also encourage someone to accept your answer without voting for it because they know it will contribute to your badge.

Answer 6

I like the idea of the unsung hero, but I wonder how this badge would play out...

Let's break this down. First lets consider the goal of the site(s) we are participating in. The goal is at once to provide fast answers to those in immediate need, and to provide 'trusted' answers to those searching the web for questions that other websites might not offer, or might not offer for free. The questions/questioners you are referring to probably fall into the second category.

Next, consider how we answerers are incented (if this is a word) to do this. We are given points when others like/respect(upvote) what we think, and we are awarded points when we aid the people that ask for help(are accepted). We are also deducted points when the answers we provide are not on target or are misleading(downvote).

We are also given badges when we (1) do things that indicate we are learning the facets of the system - ie first accepted answer, (2) do things that show we are respected by the community over simple upvotes - ie 10+ upvotes on an accepted answer, or (3) do things that show you are loyal - woot! badges,etc. Most of what we do after we tackle (1) badges emanate from the quality or timing of our answers(ie, (2)). Which category would an Unsung Hero badge fall?

How would this new badge 'incent' activity?

• Would it promote answering questions that we have an active interest in? Probably not, we'd answer anyway.
• Would it promote looking over items that are fringe that already have an answer and an upvote? Probably not. An upvote generally indicates the willingness of others to vote.
• Would it discourage looking over fringe items that have another semi-correct answer with no vote? Potentially.

The goal to earn this badge is to have no votes on your answer, at least for 24 hrs, but still be accepted. That does not seem to be the site's best interest. It is in everyone's best interest to strive for more upvotes on their answers, not less. The upvotes will tell the casual user that 'everyone' thinks you have the right answer.

Answer 7

How about we give the badge for 5 accepts with no more than 1 upvote, that way if only the asker upvotes and accepts, that post is still eligible.

Answer 8

I like the concept for the badge. But I might be more inclined to tie it to views of the question rather than upvotes. A good, accepted answer is likely to and should have upvotes. But that doesn't mean it is necessarily getting recognized the way it should, which it sounds like is your intent. You'd probably have to do some real analysis of voting patterns to truly determine what would be appropriate.