This year the NYC Marathon went social.  In partnership with site Basno.com, they’re offering up digital marathon finisher badges, which confirm a person’s race finish, and provide an easy, social way to tell friends about the race. Badges seem to be the hot social currency lately, with many prominent sites beginning to offer users them as a way to encourage continued interaction, sharing, and healthy competition.

A few top social sites using badges to increase social value:

• FourSquare – originator of modern virtual badges, and creator of hundreds of them
• Consmr – rewards users with badges for rating and commenting on consumer packaged goods
• Gowalla – Similar, but with a smaller audience than 4sq. Larger badges and space for more creative designs.
• Basno – “Give people goods with social and professional currency, and you will gain access to their influence. Basno equips brands and organizations with the tools to distribute valuable digital goods.
• Miso – Social TV site rewards users with badges for watching particular shows.