Location-based social networking service Brightkite has experimented with the concept of badges in the past, threading in the footsteps of Foursquare and Gowalla , who have popularized if not pioneered the now-familiar virtual loyalty and rewards system. Last May, the startup partnered with coffee chain Starbucks to create a set of branded badges, self-reportedly the biggest brand integration they had done until then. Today, they're ramping up their badging efforts.