Badges!

Badges are a mystery. They just showed up one day and refuse to go away. In any case, biologists and archeologists have been attempting to create a taxonomy of the badges spotted in the wild. Here's an incomplete and frequently outdated annotated list.

Streak badges

	The Egg — 237,536 people The egg is how we all start. Where did we come from? Nobody knows. But it's up to you to determine what you will grow up to be.
	The Turkey — 94,069 people You get the Turkey badge by writing 3 days in a row. Three strikes -- pow!
	The Penguin — 61,198 people The Penguin badge is all yours when you write for 5 days in a row. You can't fly yet, but at least you can swim, and look at that fancy bow tie!
	The Flamingo — 35,886 people Ah, flight. 10 days of writing your 750 words in a row, and your feathers turn pink, you think about sunshine and martinis and pools and front lawns, and the world seems to be your shrimp.
	The Albatross — 15,542 people What a mighty bird! 30 days in a row and you earn the respect of this largest of all flying birds. Your wingspan can sometimes exceed 11 feet! A good thing because the life of an albatross is long, and lonely. Get comfy and ready to write for another 70 days before your next transformation.
	The Phoenix — 4,702 people 100 days in a row! The phoenix is a mythical badge earned only by a few, the brave, the bold, the lucky.
	The Pterodactyl — 2,290 people 200 days in a row! Scientists say this bird is extinct, but some highly fanatical people say that they've seen one or two recently. Who to believe?
	The Pegasus — 1,327 people 365 days in a row! You might think it more likely that a horse could fly, but with boldness and dedication, it can be done. Think of it as twelve albatrosses, and here you are. The coveted Pegasus is yours.
	The Space Bird — 964 people 500 days in a row! Friend, you are truly touching the stars.
	The Flying Squirrel — 444 people 1,000 days in a row! I never thought I'd need to make this badge... and yet here we are. Speechless.
	The Great Griffin — 167 people Those who have met the Great Griffin have written over 2,000 days in a row. I'll do the math for you... that's over 5 years of writing every day! We bow down to you.

---

Behavior badges

	The Cheetah — 13,969 people The cheetah is the fastest land animal. Zoom zoom. Those who earn this badge are typing what cheetahs are to chasing down gazelle. 10 days in a row of finishing their words in less than 20 minutes will earn you this badge.
	The Hamster — 19,753 people Once this meek Hamster gets on the wheel, nothing will get him to step off. Such are the owners of this badge when you start them typing. Throw distractions at them, they will not look at you, their focus is like an iron bar that cannot be broken. 10 days in a row with no distractions earns you this much coveted badge.
	The Turquoise Horse — 9,001 people This sheepish stallion is the reward for anyone with enough zeal to not only sign up for a monthly challenge, but to complete it as well.
	The Patron — 25,370 people The sturdy backbone of this site, patrons are. This Owl badge is for those wealthy merchants out there who give to the site in a monetary way. The philanthropy is much appreciated!
	The Inspired Writer — 4,358 people Patrons have a chance to leave testimonials, feature requests, and other kinds of inspiration for other users of the site. Those who do, earn this badge for their mighty public scribble.
	The Early Rooster — 4,880 people Morning pages, as they are called, were originally considered best written (surprise!) during the mornings! While there is some debate on the topic, this badge is here for you, it will listen to you morning people and keep you company with its Roostery way. If you manage to write more than 10 times in a row between hours of 5am and 9am the badge will be yours.
	The Night Bat — 4,830 people The opposite of the Early Rooster is this lovely creature of the night. You probably type with your eyes closed and rely on sonar alone to know where the keys are. Long live the night! If you manage to write more than 10 times in a row between hours of 22pm and 5am the badge will be yours.
	The Flock — 12,710 people This badge represents 100,000 words. 100,000 words of private writing. That's like 2 novels. Who knew it was possible? My hat off to folks who earn this badge.
	The Double Flock — 6,055 people This badge represents 250,000 words. I'm speechless. But you, apparently, are quite the opposite! Quite an amazing feat that anyone should be proud of.
	The Triple Flock — 3,200 people This badge represents 500,000 words. This is the equivalent of 10 good sized novels, and just a little less than the total number of unique words in the Oxford English Dictionary. Bravo to you!
	The Mega Flock — 1,458 people This badge represents 1 MILLION words. This is the equivalent of the length of the entire Harry Potter series. You are amazing. Now all you need is a good editor, right?
	The Double Mega Flock — 554 people This badge represents 2 MILLION words. The longest novel ever published was Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus (Cyrus the Great), by Madeleine de Scudéry. It was 1,954,300 words. You've passed that! Cyrus may have been great, but you are also pretty darn neat.
	The NaNo — 2,186 people There is a yearly competition every November called NaNoWriMo (perhaps you've heard of it). If you manage to type over 50,000 words in one month (no matter what month though) without breaking your streak you will be awarded this fine badge of honor.

750 Words – Private, unfiltered, spontaneous, daily FAQ Feedback