I think this could be very useful. If not for the general public (except perhaps fans of celebrities) then at least for people that professionally need to keep track of them. Reporters, showbiz-professionals etc.

Also: I don't care (at all) about the badges but would be interested in it as a research tool. Furthermore I'd like to have a software like this that is not limited to people but also to concepts, ideas and topics in general.

For example I'd like to be kept up to date on subjects like "Life on Mars" or "A.I.". Better than Google alerts and websites like HN already help me be it.