There may have been times where you’ve joined a club, and been a part of something bigger than yourself. Whether it’s a club based on your interests, financial status, or otherwise, a club is a space where people who have something in common gather. And now, joining a club has come to social media in the form of Clubhouse, an app based on audio-chat, and currently accessible only via invite.
Clubhouse At A Glance
- Audio only, no text, pictures or videos save for profile pictures for each user
- At time of writing, join by invite only from existing members
- You can follow individuals and/or rooms based on topics of interest you select
- Currently available only on iOS, though an Android app is in the works
- The current limit per Clubhouse room is at 5,000 people
- All conversations are open to any member who can find it
- Celebrities like Kevin Hart, Drake, Tiffany Haddish, and Ashton Kutcher are on it
- You can have scheduled events with arranged speakers or impromptu discussions
- Nothing is recorded or stored on the app itself, and transcripts are not made available after the session
Ok, What Exactly Is Clubhouse?
Based on the above information, if you’re slightly confused, don’t worry. You’re not alone. I was confused at first as well. To put it simply, Clubhouse is something like a mix of a live podcast/conference call platform. Like-minded people or those with similar topics of interest have conversations on the app, and you can listen to these conversations, interviews or discussions. Depending on the organisers/moderators, you can also take part in the conversation yourself by “raising a hand”. It’s something like being in a panel, and awaiting your turn to speak, if you’re part of the audience. In other words, it’s like listening in to a phone conversation, only it’s legal. Or if you prefer to think of it in a different way, it’s like a live podcast, only that the podcast will not saved and distributed once it is over.
What Can I Listen To On Clubhouse?
To be honest, I think there’s something for everyone here, and if there’s something you can’t find, you can also “start a room” to launch your own conversation about whatever you want to talk about. If you have contacts and followers, you can also start a room with them. Topics of interest are divided into broad categories, and under them there are more specific topics. Here are some examples:
Entertainment:
- Trivia
- Comedy
- Advice
- Television
- Gaming
Sports:
- Basketball
- Formula 1
- MMA
- Tennis
- Golf
Identity:
- Millennials
- Women
- Disabled
- LGBTQ
- BIPOC
There are also other categories like “Arts”, “Tech”, “Wellness”, “Life” and even “Hustle”.
So… How Can I Join Clubhouse?
If you have a friend on Clubhouse, all you have to do is ask them to send you an invite. Each member is entitled to only two invites at first, but apparently you can get more invites the more you use the app. Once an existing member invites you, you’ll receive a link via text to go to the sign-up page. (Clubhouse utilises your mobile number.) You can choose to key in your profile manually, or link it up with Twitter, if you have one. At the moment, this invite-based system is because Clubhouse is still in its beta stage, but once the beta stage is completed, it will be open to the public. For now, even if you can’t secure an invite, you can go ahead and download the app, and reserve your username first, so that you can use it when the app goes public. In other news, apparently demand for an invite is so high that you can purchase some on platforms like eBay, Craigslist, Reddit, and Idle Fish.
Why Are People Jumping On The Clubhouse Bandwagon?
Apparently, people are “Zoomed-out”, with the dressing up their top half and ensuring they’re camera ready, and are also a little fed up with other social media apps like Instagram which focuses on follower count. With Clubhouse, it’s only voice, which means you can listen or take part anytime, without being “ready” for anything at all. Clubhouse also doesn’t really focus on follower count though they have a number of celebrities, tech giants, entrepreneurs, creators, other personalities, and “normal” people like you and me on the platform, focusing on the topics of discussion instead. As such, some feel like it empowers them to use their voice without concern of how they look like or how “popular” they are, it provides real human engagement, it’s a good place to test ideas out and get immediate reactions, and ultimately, rapidly build business connections as you converse with people from all over the world over common topics.
Should I Join Clubhouse?
Seeing as it’s blown up recently thanks to famous people on it like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, you might want to give it a go, if you can get an invite. Some are divided on whether it will stick around, though there are staunch believers in the refreshing change Clubhouse provides with its audio-only preface, and believe that it will be the next big thing. Personally, I’m not an auditory person; I can’t even really listen to podcasts without zoning out, though I admit the concept of Clubhouse is an interesting one. In short, I think if you’re comfortable with speaking to others, or are interested in listening to interesting conversations, Clubhouse could be the app for you!
Would you join Clubhouse, or what are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments below!
