# How Not to Fuck Up Your Takeover Source: https://x.com/thefirmpresshq/status/2112559748096709019?s=12 Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/How-Not-to-Fuck-Up-Your-Takeover?index=0x6ad7afbf2ff650e198321116e740f6f4fd144010c1f21bc1bb08d62e47b2b39069bc84fc Submitted by tim on 2026-10-20 UTC, 3 upvotes, 0 comments ## Summary This satirical piece, written as advice from a fictional firm called The Firm, offers tips for taking over a social network, using Farcaster's re-onboarding as the implied example. It argues that new owners should avoid immediately banning users for past behavior, avoid heavy-handed Codes of Conduct and invented jargon, and keep the acquisition announcement positive and free of attention to the new management's ideology. The text also says that votes or mandatory NFT minting do not show genuine alignment, since users may mint anything for an airdrop or access to their DMs. ## Article What if, instead of a jarring and bewildering experience that alienated a longstanding community of builders, https://farcaster.xyz/~/vote had been a delightful re-onboarding flow that sparked joy, understanding, a focus on shared values, and dare we say it… excitement? As experienced user onboarders here at The Firm (acquiring over 20,000 employees in a single week)… the Mergers and Appropriations division has a few learnings to share. We’ll start with the obvious: if social networks are analogous to nation states, then immediately and forcibly booting the original inhabitants out of their e-homes into exile might draw unwanted parallels to settler colonialism. Takeaway: Ease up on the bans for previous behavior on day one – when you’re convincing folks to “embark on (an) experiment in decentralized democracy”, it’s important to let them feel they have a say in that democracy… before you give ‘em the boot. While The Firm has long practiced the heavy-handed use of grandiose, self-important Codes of Conduct… …with mandatory acquiescence to a dubious higher power… …frequent references to ancient doctrines (“Code of Hammurabi”) and introducing new language for existing concepts (“Digital Felonies”) is a fast-track to alienating the very pro-social techno-optimists you hope will embrace your fledgling digital e-settler-colony. In UX terms, onboarding goes more smoothly when you use existing lingo rather than disconcert people with the newspeak. Takeaway: while redefining everyday language is a tried and tested tool for shaping the way people think, consider using normal language during onboarding and saving the newspeak until your e-subjects are already on the hook. Now that we’ve addressed the elephants in the room, let’s look at the UX of onboarding your newly purchased sovereign citizens. A simple “stepped carousel” is a great way to use “progressive disclosure” to ease users through dense topics: Acquisition news: Let people know about the new management in simple terms. Pro tip: Avoid drawing attention to the background or ideologies of the new management. We’re here to get people on board, not freak them out! Lead with the positive: Acknowledge the good things about the e-nation you’ve just settled and lean into shared values. Pro tip: UX microcopy (”Yes sir!”) can subliminally influence users into accepting the new hierarchy without use of a scary, permanent opt-in NFT. Code of conduct: this is a big one. As mentioned, democratic societies look down on punishment for actions people make before they become a crime, so lean towards moderation going forward. While name dropping ancient civilizations is an effective path to imbuing your reactionary project with a false sense of historical authority, The Chairman’s experience (Firm v. The Acropolis, 1956) has taught us that such approaches may be best saved for post-inculcation stages. Drop the Hamurabbi spiel for now! A compulsory NFT-minting display of fealty may draw unwanted similarities to frat hazing and similar humiliation rituals. Keep it simple by enforcing the moderation going forward… or at least during a transition period. Skip the mandatory “vote” and try peaceably assimilating with your new community instead. IMPORTANT: Many in your newly-purchased e-fiefdom will mint anything if they think there might be an airdrop in it... or just to access to their DMs! So remember: “votes” don’t equate to genuine alignment. Remember what we said about democracy? Practice what you preach and leave a good impression with a sign-off that leads your netizens to a democratic dialog! Throw in a few more token platitudes like “keep building Farcaster together” to give the sense of a common enterprise… and that’s a wrap! We hope you’ve learned a little from this glimpse into The Firm’s approach to the UX of onboarding and inculcation. If you’re looking to get buy-in from your own freshly colonized digital community, or just to welcome people to your cool new product, reach out to your digitally-local Firm rep today to hop on a quick call: https://calendly.com/firmjeff/30min --- The Firm* | Unlimited Thinking *Bigeon