<p>Yes, they are the same. Check out <a href="https://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/17853/how-do-badges-work">the meta-SO FAQ</a> for more information.  Yes, some are much easier to get on huge sites like SO than they are on smaller sites.  The best way to get badges is to vote as much as you possibly can and constantly encourage others to vote.  That's practically the only place reputation comes from (apart from the tiny bit added for accepting answers) and most badges depend on accruing rep in some way.</p>
