The thread was closed before I could pop an idea in, so here is the OP and the closing reply.

This doesn't seem like a spectacular idea, but the thought came into mind, and I was curious to hear some kind of response. What if certain members had a badge acknowledging they're an artist or a writer?

 

Members who have exceptional skill in art can earn a badge that signifies they're an artist.

 

Members who write good stories or fanfiction will earn a badge commending their story writing ability.

 

Like I said, this suggestion is just a thought that I thought of, so I decided to just throw it out there, and see if that was an idea.

Looks like everything's been explained exceptionally well as is ^-^ Just to recap though before I close this, yes, badges aren't touched too often because of their inherent superiority and competitive implications. That, on top of which, giving one 'group' of members a special badge just because they have what's more or less a pastime (whether they make money off their art or not, it's a pastime) that not all members have, will just lead to drama and requests for even more badges from everyone else who aren't artists and authors, in an attempt to make 'everyone' feel more 'special', to balance things out.

 

Point relevant, here's that 'old thread' where this was brought up: http://mlpforums.com/topic/61308-groups-for-artists-musicians-writers-etc/

 

Nice suggestion, though :3 Showing interest in expanding the community with suggestions is always good, whether or not they end up being practical in reality.

Yeah, that's kinda what I thought when I saw the OP. But it could be a good idea if it were tweaked I think.

What if there was an option in your profile settings to define yourself as either a writer, musician, artist, or animator? It could show up on your profile, or it could even replace your user title in your posts with a fancy little image (see screenshot with terrible concept art above).

This would eliminate any type of "hierarchy" that would result for having to "qualify" to gain a title. Heck, if you're worried about having to make more badges so everyone can feel "special," eliminate the badges all together and just slap some text into the profile. It could go around where your name, join date, and last active time are.

My two bits.