Ask HN: Are Web 2.0 "badges" played out?

I'm talking about these things: http://akoogle.blogspot.com/2008/05/web-20-badges-collection.html

They seem to be a rite of passage for a Web 2.0 site. But they seem played out. At what point, if not already, do they signal that a site or those behind it are more followers than leaders, or is that an unfair conclusion? Does it matter if it's unfair? Does it matter at all? And what will replace these things, if anything?