User:HBeds/Lifescouts
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Lifescouts is a badge-collecting community of people who share real-world experiences online.[1] It exists on the Tumblr platform, with badges posted to the blog. Lifescouts followers are encouraged to reblog the images of any badge they feel they have obtained, to use the images on other social media platforms, and as a potential source for vlogging inspiration. Lifescouts is free to anyone who wishes to participate, although some members of the community may also collect physical, enamel, Lifescouts pin badges, which can be shipped internationally. According to the founder's analysis of statistics, as posted on the Lifescouts blog, "a higher percentage of people will buy badges if the badge is particularly hard to achieve,... although the easier badges get more people sharing stories"[2].
You do not have to meet any criteria in order to get a badge – it is up to the individual. If they feel they have a sufficiently valuable experience, story, or anecdote related to that badge, and they personally don’t feel guilty for claiming that badge, then that justifies them having it. The idea is to get as many as you can by experiencing life. Every badge/image is either an opportunity to do something new, or an opportunity to share a story about something you have already done.
A total of 100 badges were released in 2013 (between January and July), with the break at the end of the year intended to give Lifescouts participants a chance to catch up and actually do things. In addition three Special Badges (‘Family’, ‘Friends’ and ‘Love’) were released. There was also a ‘Summer in the City’ badge created exclusively for the 2013 event.
Lifescouts Inception[edit]
Musician, vlogger, author, Sopio co-creator and Lifescouts inventor, Alex Day, introduced the concept to his followers in a YouTube video published in January 2013[3]. It was conceived as a badge system that rewards all ages, not just kids, and that rewards experiences instead of just skills. Alex wanted to create a system that was engaging, so that people would be encouraged to turn off their computers and go and do things, but would to share their experiences online.
When Lifescouts began, the physical badges retailed at £3.00. In August 2013, badge packs were introduced with five badges (grouped by theme e.g. ‘Rainy Day’) available for £10.00[4]. Challenge Badges were also introduced to encourage people to try new things. Costing the same as the other badges, the purchaser would be sent a random badge (from a list of the 50 experiences that were deemed to be the most easily achievable). By February 2014, the price of individual badges had been reduced to £1.50 to make them more accessible[5].
Available Lifescouts Badges[edit]
Released 2013[edit]
- Accordion
- Acrobatics
- Archery
- Baking Cookies
- Ballet
- Balloon Animals
- Barbecue
- Bass
- Big Ben
- Bike Riding
- Birthday Party
- Bowling
- Bungee Jumping
- Camping
- Cello
- Chess
- Clarinet
- Climbing a Tree
- Concert
- CPR
- Drive-in Movie
- Driving
- Drums
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Easter Island Statues
- Egyptian Pyramids
- Eiffel Tower
- Empire State Building
- Falconry
- Fencing
- Fishing
- Flute
- French Language
- Giving Blood
- Guitar
- Gymnastics
- Harmonica
- Harp
- Haunted House
- Having a Pet
- Holding a Snake
- Horse Riding
- Horse-drawn Cart
- Hot Air Balloon
- Husky Sledding
- Juggling
- Karaoke
- Keyboard
- Kite Flying
- Klingon Language
- Las Vegas
- Magic
- Marching Band
- Milking a Cow
- Mona Lisa
- Mount Rushmore
- Mountain Climbing
- Music Video
- Niagara Falls
- Observatory
- Origami
- Parade
- Performing on Stage
- Photography
- Piano
- Picnic
- Ping Pong
- Planting a Tree
- Programming
- Rainforest
- Rollerblading
- Rollercoaster
- Rubik's Cube
- Safari
- Saxophone
- Scrabble
- Scuba Diving
- Singing
- Skateboarding
- Skipping
- Skydiving
- Songwriting
- Swimming with Dolphins
- Swimming
- Sydney Opera House
- Taj Mahal
- Tightrope Walking
- Trampolining
- Trombone
- Trumpet
- Ukulele
- Unicycling
- Video Games
- Violin
- Vlogging
- Watching the Sunrise
- Winning a Crane Game
- Winning a Trophy
- Yo-Yo
- Zoo
Special Badges[edit]
- Family
- Friends
- Love
Exclusive Badges[edit]
- Summer in the City 2013
References[edit]
- ^ "Official website"
- ^ Alex Day "Nerd Month", 28th February 2013
- ^ Alex Day, "Lifescouts", 13th January 2013
- ^ Alex Day, "Playing With My Carrot", 16th August 2013
- ^ Alex Day, "Spring Fair", 16th February 2014