Hi, @Earthygirl Welcome to this forum.
No, those badges are not cryptocurrencies. Merits are awarded by fellow members when they find your post to be helpful or informative. For Merits you need to stay active and keep contributing to the forum if a senior members think your post deserves a Merit then they will award you. Merits help you to rank up.
You can find more information about Merits and Badges by visiting this topic - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178608.0
This has been helpful thanksNo, those badges are not cryptocurrencies. Merits are awarded by fellow members when they find your post to be helpful or informative. For Merits you need to stay active and keep contributing to the forum if a senior members think your post deserves a Merit then they will award you. Merits help you to rank up.
You can find more information about Merits and Badges by visiting this topic - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=178608.0