Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 460,503 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,097 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,097 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,210 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 460,503 cutting edge ideas.

Metagame Media

Google Badges Make Reading the News More Fun

— July 17, 2011 — Tech
Gamification is a risky, yet rewarding tactic used to generate customer interest online, and Google is putting the method to the test with its new badge system.

By making the product engaging or interactive, companies have persuaded people to complete boring tasks like surveys and questionnaires; gamification is a powerful tool. With high hopes of increasing Google News traffic, software developers at the company have introduced a new badge system, wherein users gain points by reading articles. The more diverse your reading habits are, the more badges you’ll unlock.

Moreover, Google has announced that users will be able to automatically share their news with their friends via Google+ circles. That means that the different periodicals you read will be suggested to your friends according to their interests. In principle, the idea is sound, but with the success of badges hingeing on Google+ use, it may turn out to be a risky proposal.
Trend Themes
1. Gamification Marketing - Companies are increasingly using gamification to engage customers, and software developers could harness this to drive traffic to their platforms either through badges or points-based reward systems.
2. Diverse Reading Habits - By encouraging users to read articles from different sources and genres, and rewarding them for it, companies could boost user engagement and retention rates.
3. Social Sharing - By integrating social sharing capabilities directly into their platforms, developers are making it easier for users to share content with their friends, family, and colleagues.
Industry Implications
1. News Aggregation Platforms - News aggregation platforms like Google News could benefit from integrating gamification features to drive engagement and retention rates, and potentially increase ad revenue.
2. Educational Platforms - Platforms offering educational materials could use gamification to encourage people to engage with their content, take quizzes and earn rewarded certificates.
3. Social Media Platforms - Social media platforms could utilize gamification features like badges to increase user engagement, promote more diverse use of their platforms, and grow their user base.
1.5
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness