Do suspended Yahoo answers accounts get reactivated after a period of time?

Suspension pretty much means you are finished with that YA account although you can continue to use the email address. You can appeal but that is rarely successful, You might be best to forget it and start over again with a new account.Yahoo doesn't seem to play favorites, it doesn't matter if you have been a member for day, a week,a month or years or are a top contributor the same rules apply to everyone. It also doesn't seem to matter the number of violations but more the severity or perceived severity of the violations. Yahoo takes a dim view of SPAM, bigotry, pornography , insulting other members,racism, anything that even borders on illegal such as drugs even soft drugs, downloading movies, music programs etc. or links to that kind of stuff Any of that can mean a speedy exit.Your old points are history.Yahoo just doesn't give specific reasons for account suspension. As for other violators all you can do is report them. You can read the guidelines and terms of service below, they tend to be very ambiguous, appeals are often a waste of time and points. Some suggestions, If you haven't done so, edit you info so your questions and answers are hidden that way it makes it harder for trolls who enjoy reporting violations or presumed violations to stalk you. Also, avoid pages with controversial subjects such as religion, homosexuality, racism, pornography, any hatred, downloading movies or music, drugs even soft drugs, etc. Don't give smart, flip or sarcastic answers nor use any profanity and if you believe you are being stalked go to other categories. You might also consider changing your avatar and I.d. http://answers.yahoo.com/info/community_%E2%80%A6 http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/uto%E2%80%A6

I had to appeal my suspension. That's the only way to get reinstated.

Once an account is suspended then it stays suspended unless they have lodged an appeal and won the appeal, apart from that it is the end of the account on this site. As for the people you mention who are still on this site, it does sound as if they have not been reported while others have been reported and so lost their accounts.