I kinda like them. I was interested in getting badges for a day or two. Once I got the ones I wanted, Ive not been as concerned about them.
What I really like about them, is that either purposely or inadvertently they can give you a small snipet of what the personallity who is posting is like.
I readily identify with villains, and dark/evil logic. So having two badges relating to such basically can forewarn someone reading that my post may be abrasive in nature. Having the "good poster" badges show that the person knows how to get their point across, and do so within the confines of the rules. Ect ect ect.
I think it is perhaps one of the best achievment systems ive seen for that fact.