What the different badges are for, and requirements (Note - These may change, as needed):

Critique Badge: Post a video of yourself playing in the Critique section to get help with your playing. One of the exceptions for showing yourself playing is for help with bowing and fingering. If you need help with bowing issues, please make sure we can see both arms, the way you are holding your instrument and the entire bowing movement. The reason for this is so that we can see how you are bowing and fingering, the entire movement. To do this, you might not be able to have your face in the video, but if you can, all the better. 

If you are asking for general help on a piece, that is all encompassing, not particularly fingering or bowing, you must be seen playing. 

Video Badge: Post a video of yourself playing your instrument. Again, you must be visible playing in the video, including face. 

Group Project Badge: Participate in a Fiddlerman or Forum Member Group Project. When requesting this badge, make sure you provide me with the name you used for the credits in the video. Many Group Project participants do not use their forum display names. Unless you are using the forum display name, I have no idea who you are. Include the link to the group project and state the post number of where the final list of participants is posted by Fiddlerman.

DIY Badge: The purpose of this badge is to share how you did your own DIY fix to your bowed string instrument or accessory. Explain why you are doing this DIY, as well as showing (photos or videos) and explaining how.

To receive this badge, you must: 

Post about it with a description of what you did, how, and why, and include photos of steps or videos.

Including photos and/or a video is a must. It is preferred you appear in one, but it is not required for you to be seen for the DIY badge, just the photos or videos, and description of what, why and how. It can be difficult to include yourself when photographing or videoing a DIY project. Thank you for sharing your DIY. They may benefit others.

Live Badge: A video of yourself, solo or in a group, performing live in front of a live audience. You may belong to an orchestra and you are in a video performing in front of an audience, etc. You must be able to be seen playing with them in front of the audience, so the audience must be seen in part. The Fiddlerman Group projects do not count. They are not in front of a live audience.

Composer Badge: Writing a musical piece, your own creative piece, and sharing it in a video with you playing it so we can hear and see you performing it.

Author Badge - (Please read in its entirety for requirements and submission instructions): Interesting articles written by a forum member for the forum, must be forum topic related. In other words, no cooking, crafting birdhouse building, etc articles. No videos can be used. Photos may be used within the guidelines listed further down. 

IMPORTANT: Your article cannot have been published elsewhere, either in written form or online. (It can’t have been submitted elsewhere and published because most times you give up rights to publish or display it elsewhere and this would be considered that.)

Other particulars about the Author Badge:

1.Photos can only be used as illustration. If the article will not make sense without the photo, you cannot use it. You could rewrite that section and then add the photo to illustrate. Please do not use more than one photo, if using a photo. This is for an article written in your words, not illustrated by photos.

2. It must be written magazine style, paragraphs. No How To's, and must be forum topic related.

Some suggestions are: Your experience with your instrument journey, Essays about your instrument, Your thoughts on different bowed string instruments music forms, a performer or performance (not announcing an upcoming performance), an article about the wood used in a bowed string instrument, affect music or playing has had on you, performance anxiety, other forum topic theme, opinions on bowed string instrument themes, etc. Other non-how-to articles relating to the topic of this forum, bowed string instruments.

NOTE: Articles are NOT posted in the forum. They must be submitted to Mouse. I have an email address I use for the forum. Please PM me if you do not have my special email address for this and you have written a magazine style article that fits the above criteria. I will PM you the email address. I do not want to post it here. If accepted, you will receive an Author badge and the article will be posted in the "Members Articles" section at the top of the forum in the menu bar.

Traveler Badge: You have to be a host of the Traveler. As a host, have to do a posting in the Traveling Community Violin section. A photo of you at least holding it. A video of you playing would be great, but not required.

Party Badge: Host a party in the Party Room. As host, you select a theme for your party and post a video of you performing a piece following your chosen theme. If a member follows suit and submits a video of his or herself playing a piece that follows your chosen theme, the host will receive a Party Badge. You must follow the Host's chosen theme and the video must clearly show the member playing the piece in the video.

A theme may not be repeated during a 3 month time frame, for the badge, only. So only 1 birthday party a 3 month time frame, unless it is a themed birthday party, then you can get a badge. That would be too easy for you. LOL Holiday themed parties must be started in the month of the Holiday. 

Suggestions: A holiday, a specific type: American Folk, 60's, Bach Party, Waltz Party, a specific composer (more than one person can submit the same piece by the selected composer), themed Birthday Party, etc. Whatever theme you can think of. 

If new badges are available, they will be added here.

Again, there are no crossovers where you get more than one badge for the same post or video.

You will not be denied a badge if you post a video in an area not related to the badge. For instance, if you post a video of you playing and sharing in a section other than the "Share a Video of You Playing" area of the forum, you can still receive a badge for that. Location of the post is not a factor.

We are working on a few new badges. Updates will be added to this as the badges are created.

If you think you have earned a badge, there is a thread in the badges section to request a badge, or feel free to PM Mouse, also. When requesting a badge, please include a link to the post that you feel fills the requirement of a badge you do not already have.

Edited 6/20/2022 to allow participation in a Forum Member Group Project to earn a Group Project Badge.

May be edited as necessary as circumstances require.