I stumbled across one post on the soon-to-close Astronomy SE thread:
Will there be a badge? It would be nice if contributors to the site were recognized for their effort somehow, especially those with lots of reputation. Of course, a badge here wouldn't do. Maybe a badge in Area 51?
Actually, I don't think this would be a bad idea. If someone has committed extensively (say, more than 2k reputation) on a site with a failed beta, they've put time and effort into it and ultimately deserve something to say thanks for trying. Think of it like a (silver? gold?) tumbleweed badge but for betas...