Naming Poll: Official Guide
1. How the Poll Works (General Rules)
The poll is designed to be fast-paced and fair, ensuring the community converges on a favorite name quickly.
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Phase 1: The Selection Phase
When a naming round begins, a moderator activates the poll. Viewers can vote for any name from our master list of pre-approved options for the current species. Each viewer gets exactly one vote per individual animal.
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Phase 2: The Shortlist Trigger
To prevent votes from being spread too thin, Buster automatically monitors how many unique names are being picked. As soon as 5 different names have received at least one vote, the poll instantly “Shortlists.” All names with zero votes are locked out of the current round to focus the competition.
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Phase 3: The Race to 3
Once the shortlist is active, the first name among the five finalists to reach 3 total votes is instantly declared the winner!
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Winning & Retirement
The winning name is officially assigned to the youngster and is permanently retired from the master list so it cannot be used for future siblings during the same season.
2. Viewer Commands
Anyone watching the live stream can use these commands in the YouTube chat to participate.
| Command | Description |
!vote [Name] |
Casts your vote for a specific name (e.g., !vote Pip). Remember, you only get one vote per animal! |
!names |
Lists all currently available name options you can vote for right now in the chat. |
3. Moderator-Only Commands
These commands are strictly restricted to moderators and the broadcaster to manage the flow of the event.
| Command | Description |
!namepoll or !newhatching |
The Starter: Automatically detects the stream camera, creates a brand new seasonal data capsule, locks out past winners, and activates a fresh poll for the chat. |
!poll |
The Nudge: Sends a friendly reminder to the live chat with quick instructions on how viewers can cast their votes. |
!refresh |
Sync Tool: Manually forces the dashboard engine to rebuild the HTML graphics and sync the website data immediately if things appear jammed. |
4. Live Dashboard Leaderboard
Our results are published in real-time to our online leaderboard dashboard above. You can see the vibrant, animated progress bars filling up as the “Race to 3” happens live. Past seasons and previous winners are archived automatically in the Hall of Fame section below the live feed!