How does Y!A rank the top answerers in a category?

Yesterday and this morning, I checked the top 10 answerers list in my "top contributor" category. It said I had 55 best answers (and 8th place), when previously I was at 135 (4th). Then this afternoon, I have 138 and I'm back at 4th place. I only rec'd one new best answer today. What's up?

Can you lose your top ten answerer spot by being inactive for awhile, like you can with top contributor status? I understand others may bypass you for number of best answers, but how in the world could it have changed so much - down the first time, and then back up???

Terri2007-09-20T15:17:55Z

Favorite Answer

My amount of best answers in one category changes so much that I can't even remember how many I have anymore!! Some days it will change by over 100!
It is just them tweaking the system, I think, and you aren't losing any best answers. My ranking hasn't been affected by the changes, but I have noticed it will bump backwards to a previous setting. Meaning, it will go back to a setting that is one month old, so everyone will be posted as they were one month ago. Then it will be current, then it will go to last week's, then it will change to 6 weeks ago...so on and so forth. That is why you see your ranking changing, it is displaying settings from past times, randomly. I have lost my top contributor badge once for inactivitiy, but I did not lose my top answerer spot, so my experience says no, you will not lose your top ten status unless someone passes you and bumps you to eleven.

Willeke2007-09-20T21:33:42Z

Yahoo is having glitches at the moment.
And the top 10 lists are affected.
While the current list is not available they show an old one. Now the current ones are back up.

I do not think that you will be taken out of the top 10 list when you stop answering questions in that category, you will just be overtaken by others who will than have more best answers.

Anonymous2007-09-20T23:57:15Z

That is one of Y's little mysteries.