I think one thing that should be fixed is how earned wheels work. Like you say:I know that if a superuser shares it, I'm going to be watching my hubwheel go up at least a dot. I am aware that this is not the point of the site, but like karma, I still want it.
And I think that the site encourages you to want it by treating "Wheels Earned" as more important than "Badges Left". I think that the number next to your hubwheel should not be the number of times you've filled it up, but the number of badges you've earned minus the number of badges you've given out. I think treating it as idea currency is more valuable than just "how big am I?"
The only problem with currency is that new users would get credits without being able to debit. littlebirdie (hope you're healing, btw, we miss you), for example, has earned 9 badges, and only the ability to give out one, which she has done. I suppose maybe she's an extreme example, however, and that doesn't happen too often.
That's fine- it's not a bartering currency. It's a reward currency. littlebirdie is a great, extreme example. If she has 9 badges before she ever finishes a hubwheel, that's awesome- and she will probably finish hubwheels much faster than most people will. But if there's something she really wants to badge then she has to earn that wheel. I don't think that:
badges gained + wheels filled - badges given
is what should be next to your hubwheel. I think that:
wheels filled - badges given
should be. And your badge wheel should count badges earned, as it always has. Right now the Hubwheel is two things- an indicator of how long until you're able to badge again next to a vanity counter of how many spins you've gone through. I think that it's a problem that I want to get to a 3 on my hubweel for no reason. I would rather only look up there when I see a post I really want to be able to badge, to check how many badges I can give out and how close I am to earning another one.
Interesting. We have discussed recently, a "Zen" option, where the users will have a toggle in their controls that when "on" the majority of statistics currently displayed will be hidden. What do you think about that?I think that it's a problem that I want to get to a 3 on my hubweel for no reason.
That'd be something. I'd still like to know if I can badge things, though. Zen mode is a nice idea. I'm not sure how many people (%-wise) will actually use it. I think some will, but points and gamification are very powerful. I can't even honestly say whether or not I'd use it. I do love me some data.