Badges do absolutely nothing for me in the web/app context. Twice in the last week or so I have clicked a link from HN and been taken to a site which awards me

Badges do absolutely nothing for me in the web/app context. Twice in the last week or so I have clicked a link from HN and been taken to a site which awards me with a "Just Arrived" badge simply for visiting the site. I can see what they are trying to achieve as the site tells me I need to sign in with FB in order to keep the badge, but that implementation was nothing but an annoyance.