you could do it with client-side calls as long as the server-side can sign the data (ie use an hmac). that still means a server-side api, but it doesn't have t

you could do it with client-side calls as long as the server-side can sign the data (ie use an hmac). that still means a server-side api, but it doesn't have to make the calls. for this to work i think you have to make it really easy to use and with minimal impact on the developer. would you handle the generation of badges (this seems like it would be a timesaver - you provide a badge editor that has basic options like colour, etc)? and serve them? there's some tension between tying awards to a particular site and making them global. initially i assumed people would want their badges displayed as an integral part of their site. but you could also imagine some "global" badges that you provide that people can earn from various sites, and which people might want to include in blogs, personal profiles, etc...