Marco Bani and Stefano De Paoli
• each platform has its own badge system: different systems, however, cannot be compared or merged. This will not help creating an unified badge reputational framework. While it might be a good idea for each platform to have its own system, performing a general badge system will support the user in collaborating in cross‐platforms civic initiatives. [ Low engagement ];
• each platform joins the others in an unique federation of platforms. This federation becomes the issuer of badges offered to users. However, this direction is not easy to take, as the platforms need to agree beforehand on many rules( e. g. who will manage or design the badges) [ High engagement ];
• a third option is that the badge framework is offered by a trustworthy entity. Each platform can get an account and authenticate via the framework. The framework independently issues civic badges. This model seems the most viable as there is no need for a prior agreement among civic platforms. [ Medium engagement ]. This model can also benefit by using the concept of web‐of‐trust: a decentralized model in which peers authenticate each other as trustworthy.
7.3 The civic badge earners
The second step for a badge system is identifying the receivers and tailor the badge awarding process. Potentially everyone can contribute to the enhancement of civic life using digital civics. At a first glance we have identified four different profiles:
• Citizen
• association
• Company
• Government
However these actors‐profiles are very different among themselves and it is expected that their contribution needs to be recognized in different ways. So, while a civic badge framework should be common for all the possible actors, the framework must also be able to differentiate between actors. In using only a single stream of badges it might be that associations or local government can unlock the badges in a much faster way that a single citizen contribution. And while at this stage it is difficult to foresee a possible design addressing this problem, some initial suggestions can be made:
Citizen / company / association profile badges
• Citizen / company / association icon: entity actively participating in digital civics initiatives.
• Verified entity whose identity has been verified by the framework.
• All the data compiled( about profession etc...).
• Mobile user.
• Number of civic actions( from different platforms).
• Badge for every kind of civic action( participation, reporting, commenter....).
• Social media connections.
Government Profile badges
• local / national government icon;
• numbers of civic action promoted;
• number of people involved;
7.4 The civic badge displayers
Who can be then the displayers of badges earned through the framework? In the Mozilla OpenBadge framework displayers are mainly third party platforms. 18 These include social networks site such as Facebook or Linkedin, personal blogs or websites and so forth. The key aspect for engaging displayer should be to focus on the diffusion and viralization of civic badges. In the first place digital civic themselves should host technical 18
https:// wiki. mozilla. org / Badges
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