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How many top contributor badges can a person have?

Just wondering. I noticed i have three now and i tend to go into many different categories. Is there a limit to how many badges you can get? Also, will you lose badges if you don't answer in those areas for a small amount of time? Can you lose badges without breaking guidelines?

Public Comments

1. You can have the badge in three categories, but in some occasions four categories will appear for some reason. The badge is based on activity(along with a few other things like best answer percentage), so if your activity drops below the requirements then you may loose your badge. If it is just a few days, you most likely won't loose it. I was gone for a week and when I came back I still had my badge. Yes, you can loose your badge without breaking yahoo guidelines.
2. You can carry as many badges as you want but most humans can't carry more than 4. I've seen users with a badge in 4 categories, and it would require some silly cheating or a genius IQ to maintain 5 or more.
3. Well you only get the one badge, but it will list itself for up to 3 sections. I've been a TC in both R&S and C&A at the same time.
4. Unless they've changed the rules, you get a Top Contributor badge for 10% of your answers being best answers in a single area. So, the theorhetical maximum is 10. But all of your answers would have to be evenly distributed and all would have to be best answers. The most I've ever seen one person have is four. You can lose a Top Contributor badge without accruing Violations--which is not nearly the same thing, as breaking the guidelines. Most reports of violations are malicious in nature and don't involve breaking the guidelines. It takes a while though. What you would have to do is stop answering questions in your Top Contributor field and answer a lot of questions in other categories. Eventually, you would drop down below the threshold level to remain a Top Contributor.