The 21st century is the period of informational technologies, social media, and also startups. State-of-the-art products and services are in great demand at present.
Based on current human wants, the geniuses of the new age come up with various ideas to satisfy us. Many of these ideas fail at the embryonic stage when others successfully take off and become outstanding. Clubhouse that we are going to talk about today is a real breakthrough, therefore, it relates to the second group of ideas.
Since the first months of 2021, Clubhouse has been in the public eye and the most-talked-about new social media. What is Clubhouse? Why has it generated so much buzz? Read on and find the answers to your questions in our article.
What is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is a free social network based on audio-chats. There is no opportunity to send a message or start video conferencing within it. On Clubhouse, it’s possible to communicate with voice only. In the media space, Clubhouse is called “a hybrid of conference calls, talkback radio, and Houseparty”. I will add that it looks a bit like podcasts but on air. In a word, live communication is at the center of this social network.
Clubhouse was founded in spring 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth who are Stanford University graduates. Paul Davison has been experimenting with the creation of social networks since 2012. In 2012 he created the Highlight app and the Shorts app in 2015. Both of them were bought by Pinterest. Paul’s partner – Rohan Sent – launched Memry Labs, a mobile app and social media studio, that was sold to the online real estate company OpenDoor.
According to Forbes, the Clubhouse app was estimated at $ 100 million back in May 2020. In January 2021, the cost exceeded one billion.
In just a few weeks, the Clubhouse app has become one of the most downloaded apps in AppStore. That’s impressive, isn’t it?
How does Clubhouse work?
Primarily, it’s worth saying that Clubhouse has an intuitive interface, therefore, it’s easy to understand step by step what to do. Clubhouse is available on IOS devices but its appearance on Android is also expected. In the very beginning, Clubhouse was an invite-only app and later it became open for everyone.
Once you have registered in the application, you should choose your interests from a broad list. Among the interests, there is Entertainment, Languages, World Affairs, Tech, Arts, Sports, etc. Each of the interests is also divided into sub-topics. Based on your chosen interests, the algorithm will invite you to participate in a conversation on topics that you may be potentially interested in.
As I have already mentioned, live communication is a distinguishing feature of Clubhouse. Thus, the social network consists of “rooms” (special audio chats) and “clubs” of interest, where people talk, discuss something, or just keep silence (yes, there are even such ones). All the rooms work only in real time, and the recording of conversations is prohibited by the terms and conditions of the app. Basically, you can be either a speaker or a listener in the “room”. Moderators of the room (those who created it) can add or remove people, as well as give the listeners an opportunity to get involved in the discussion or ask questions. If a listener wants to say something, he should “raise their hand” and moderators will give him the right to speak, moving from “Audience” to “Speakers”.
Please note: if you actively engage in conversations or create your own rooms, chances are high that people will start following you on Clubhouse.
Keep in mind: if you want to attract more people to your account on Clubhouse, work on your BIO, and represent yourself to the public in the best light.
Rooms on Clubhouse can be private, just for followers or a specific list of people, or public, that can be joined by anyone. Up to five thousand people can join each “room”.
Clubhouse also syncs your contacts from the contact list. When you start following them, you are automatically offered the rooms which they are currently in.
You can also look for other interesting people and conversations on various topics within the Clubhouse app using “Explore”.
Besides rooms, there are clubs in the Clubhouse. When a user has organized discussions in the “rooms” three times, he can create his own “club”. If you want to create a club, you need to get the approval of the Clubhouse moderators.
One more cool feature on Clubhouse is a calendar with upcoming rooms. There is a short description of each room and it’s shown who are the creators of it. In addition, you can set notification of the upcoming event or add it to Google or Apple Calendar.
How can I get to Clubhouse?
When it all started, access to Clubhouse was restricted. Except that you had to have an iPhone or iPad, it was possible to get there by invitation from an already registered user of the social network. In the very beginning, each user got just two invites and could send them to everyone he wanted via iMessages. When the user ran out of invites but had your phone number on his contact list, he got the notification and could let you in. Provided that you had already registered before and had been waiting in the list.
The excitement around the Clubhouse app was so huge that people started selling invites. Such requests as “buy invite to Clubhouse” suddenly appeared on Google.
At present, all you need to do is to download the app from the App Store, complete the registration process and enjoy listening to other people or act as a speaker.
Pros and Cons of joining Clubhouse
Despite the fact that Clubhouse is a new format of social network with millions of fans, there are not just advantages but disadvantages too. Let’s see.
Pros:
- One of the main pros of the Clubhouse app is that it’s a brand new format of a social network. Everyone has an opportunity to express his points of view, and it feels like you are listened to and your ideas make sense.
- Clubhouse provides a great opportunity to find out experiences and useful information directly from professionals, as well as to act as a speaker to share your expertise with people.
- It is one of the most effective tools for promoting yourself online now. If you are an expert in this or that area, actively involved in conversations, and show your competence, the influx of clients will not keep you waiting.
- Clubhouse is a great social network to get acquainted with new people. You can easily get into the room with outstanding CEOs of world-known companies and other influential people. “What if any number of people got together at a dinner table and just talked?” – says Gary Vaynerchuk. There are no boundaries on Clubhouse. Informal and pleasant atmosphere disposes to new acquaintances and networking.
- It’s sometimes compared to conferences and lectures but in a more intimate atmosphere. You can get new knowledge by listening to speakers directly from your smartphone.
Cons:
- Clubhouse rouses FOMO (fear of missing out). As the discussions are going on every second and there is no chance to listen to them later, it feels like something very important is passing you by. The desire to constantly be aware of what is going on on social media leads to problems in social life, and even mental disorders.
- Audio-chats are not for everyone. There are people who can’t or even hate perceiving information by ear. As there are no other means of communication on Clubhouse, it may not suit you.
- Clubhouse is full of online conmans or how they are also called “info Gypsies”. These are people who pretend to be experts but they are actually not. Unfortunately, misinformation from so-called “specialists” is widespread on Clubhouse. Be attentive who you are listening to and filter the information.
- The same topics are chewing every day. Being afraid of missing something important, people frantically put off their things and start listening to the discussions on Clubhouse. In 20 minutes, it turns out that they already heard the same conversation yesterday and the day before yesterday. As a result, 20 minutes were wasted.
- Though there is a Privacy Policy on Clubhouse, there are still racists, homophobes, anti-Semites, and other crazy representatives of the society. You can unexpectedly run into such people in one of the rooms and spoil your mood. At least.
- Data leakage. Clubhouse has already reported leakage of conversations. At present, there is no way to prevent the recording of them. There is always a malicious user who will record and then leak the conversation. Always mind your words! Experts note that the creators of the app cannot guarantee that they will be able to avoid data leaks in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s take a look at the frequently asked questions about the social network that has caused a sensation.
Does the Clubhouse app work on Android?
Currently, the Clubhouse app doesn’t work on Android devices. However, the creators have repeatedly told that they are planning to make the platform available for Android.
The Clubhouse app can only be downloaded to a device starting with iPhone 7 and iOS 13 now.
There are celebrities on Clubhouse, is it true?
Yes, it’s true! A lot of world-famous people have accounts on Clubhouse. You have an opportunity to listen to or ask a question to Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah Winfrey, Ben Horowitz, Jared Leto, Marc Andreessen, Drake, and others.
Is Clubhouse right for me?
If you have familiarized yourself with the pros and cons of joining Clubhouse and negative points didn’t make you doubt, then Clubhouse is right for you. In any case, it’s a new format and you will understand whether it suits you or not when you try it yourself only. You can always stop using the app but may regret if you don’t give it a whirl.
Conclusion
Clubhouse is rapidly gaining popularity all over the world and it seems not going to stop. If you use the app the right way (without harming your work or personal life), it can be extremely beneficial to you and your professional life. Clubhouse is a great option to stay on top of the current trends and news, make connections, or just entertain. Just be careful with the speakers who you give your time and attention to, and then Clubhouse will do you good.
