I'm just curious about how badges work - if someone gives you a badge, is the badge removed from circulation or can you pay it forward?
I think that badges don't go to "you" per se... they go to the post. So this post has been badged, not you. There is a secret sauce algorithm that determines when you earn badges to spend (posts, comments, shares, etc). That algorithm might include a factor of having your content badged... That I don't know. I hope that helps.
But it would send the wrong message. The point of a badge is to increase the recognition of something particularly noteworthy. I badge things that I think are worth more than merely sharing. I badge things that are going to be with me for a day or two. I badge things that I want more people to see, to discuss, to talk about. (people badge me because they don't understand it's already been done way the fuck too much) And that recognition is something you earn the right to grant, by demonstrating your own ability to create or share noteworthy content. Your insight earns you badges, or your ability to find thought-provoking content on the web. Badges shouldn't move, they should proliferate... but not too fast, or else they cease to be special. See, this thread currently has too many badges. It looks like something spectacular, when in fact it isn't. I mean, it's certainly a useful discussion, but none of us are going to be pondering it tomorrow. On the other hand -
So as it is, I earn a badge, I give it to your content, your content has been badged (which is different than having a badge to give) and everyone can see that badged content. Under your system, I earn a badge, I give it to your content, you give it to something else, and the content I badged is no longer badged. In order to use the badge the way you want to, you're effectively negating my opinion on your content. You're saying "this is no longer noteworthy because this other thing is more noteworthy."