User blog comment:EvilMummy/What Makes a Top Island?/@comment-4167048-20140514233318/@comment-24145588-20140514235223

If I understand it correctly, on non-Windows devices, the people in your "friends" list can come and vote for you every day -- that is to say, stuffing the ballot box is an officially supported tactic. Therefore, the the basis for being a "top island" doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your island being good. It's just about getting people who are willing to come give you a thumbs-up every day. You could have the worst island (like the one you described) but have people "friend" you and come vote for you every day, and you'd be in the top x islands. Conversely, you could have an amazing looking island, but not spend time cultivating a "friends" list, and therefore have very few votes. It devolves to a a high-school popularity contest, with about as much significance.

On Windows devices, the "top islands" are done differently (correctly), and you can only vote once for any given island. If you see an island, and you like it, you vote for it, and your vote is counted; but you can't come back every day to pump up the votes. The numbers are much lower, and some junk islands are very definitely still there in the top 10, but it seems like a much more honest system.

(Disclaimer: This is based on what I've observed and what was discussed in the forums a while back. If it's not accurate due to recent changes in the voting system, disregard.)