What’s ClubHouse?

ClubHouse is an audio-based social media app. It’s built itself around exclusivity. I say this, because in order to get on the app you need someone to “let you in” or to send you an invite. I’m sure this will change in the coming months as the app starts to gain more popularity. The company describes itself as “a new type of social product based on voice that allows people everywhere to talk, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships, and meet interesting new people around the world.”

It was created by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, last year. I’ve read in numerous articles that it is already valued at around $100 million. That was when they had only 1,500 users. Since then it has grown a lot. I was actually in a room where the founders spoke to 500 people about their plans for ClubHouse and how they do plan to grow and open up the app to everyone, but it was a matter of technicalities at this point. They say the conversations are not recorded or stored anywhere. However, I’ve been in rooms where I’ve already started to hear rumors that the conversations are being recorded. But rumors are only rumors until proven. But I would still be careful because the app is in beta mode, there are lots of little things that still need to be creased out.

Keywords

Rooms – Think of these as all the types of calls you can add yourself too. You can scroll through what is called the hallway and explore the different rooms that are having live conversations. The titles will give you hints on what the topic is, and there’s a preview of people who are speaking in the room. The speech bubble beside the name means they’re on the speaker floor.


The room is broken up into 3 sections. Once you enter a room you’ll notice at the top are moderators. They have what they call the green bean beside each name. These people are moderating the room. A moderator can allow people who have raised their hand to come up to the stage and then also has the ability to make anyone a moderator. This is what I call and I’ve heard others say the speaking stage.

Then you have the section below the stage for people who are followed by the speakers/moderators. Often I’ve seen moderators send requests to people in this section to come up to the stage to speak. You get a notification saying you have been invited to speak. You can say yes or dismiss. Refresh the room you’re in to see the most current people on the stage by tap and dragging down the screen to refresh. Also known as PTR (Pull to Refresh) on ClubHouse. Some moderators might also say, reset the room. Which means they’ll be adding new people to stage, pushing people back to the audience, and re-doing introductions.

The last section is called audience. This is for everyone who is there to listen. If you have a question you can raise your hand to send a notification to all moderators to bring you up to the stage. However, sometimes moderators turn off hand raising. What I’ve noticed is some moderators will turn it off due to the high volume of hand raising alerts they get (which can mess with the flow of the conversation) or they just want the people on the stage to talk and it’s not meant to be an open discussion but more like a lecture or podcast style room.

My experience with ClubHouse (so far) and what to expect if you join

Your first couple of weeks inside the app your profile picture comes with a little party hat on the lower corner of your profile image to identify you as a new user to others. I actually “lost” my party hat just a couple of days ago and thought what a perfect time to share my experience with you all. So here’s a quick run down of what it’s like being in the app. It’s super simple and there are very few options to work with once you’re online. Meaning, there is no text format to chat, no images and the basic text are to create a profile description.

Imagine actually walking into a conference call with either hundreds or just a handful of people. These rooms can be created by anyone, but in order to reach a more niche crowd you can search for “clubs” within the app and request to be a part of them. Once you’re a part of that club you can start a room from within the club so everyone who is a member will get notified that you’ve started a room. When you create a room you have options, to keep it locked to specific people or open to anyone. You can also give your room a title (recommended) in order to draw people into the room.

Now I think this is very important to say, there is the good and bad with any social media platform you join. It is what you make of the app for yourself, the boundaries you set with it and who you CHOOSE to connect with on the app. I’ve gone into rooms where you could tell immediately that someone had an agenda. They’re trying to sell something to you. A course that will help you make millions, a service or people who are just trying to increase their klout.

Future of ClubHouse

ClubHouse has launched during a time where people are sitting at home and connecting with others through audio has been uplifting. People find it a safe place to talk about shared interests, networking, business or just general knowledge on so many different subjects. As more people start to enter the app I imagine it’ll get really crowded. I’ve observed that the larger rooms are likely short form conversations and the moderators are usually just talking about themselves. Especially those who are more popular. There have been rooms with celebs like Oprah, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Hart, Gary Vee and so many others.

Keep in mind the app will show you rooms based on the interests you’ve chosen, who you follow and likely rooms you keep going into. It will take time to find the rooms that fit your needs. Paul Davison, one of the founders, has mentioned there will be a direct message option coming soon in one of his recent new user onboarding rooms. He also mentioned he’d like to see better discovery features, breakout rooms, ways for the audience to engage without speaking (maybe a comments section?).

clubhouse stories

People are learning so much about themselves in conversations with people they would never have spoken too. I’ve been in so many rooms where the moderator could not pronounce any of the diverse names. A moderator was humble enough to admit that he was embarrassed and realized through the ClubHouse app, that he needed more friends who were people of colour.

There are many legitimate dragons’ den style rooms where people are giving their business pitches and entrepreneurs decide whether or not they want to help fund the business idea.

There are so many stories of people speaking on a “virtual stage” for the very first time with their shy shaky voices, and then expressing so much gratitude for the opportunity.

These are the moments of raw realization I think many people like myself will enjoy on the app. The genuine connections, the ability to help lift each other with tips, shared interest conversations, connecting with people around the world you never could before and so much more. It’s an exhausting app for sure. Many times I found myself on it for hours, but at the end to only feel really burnt out. Setting a boundary, time limits and making use of what you learn is key. Just like any other app.

One room I’ve been loving is the adult lullaby room. I haven’t figured out the schedule but it’s a room that opens up late nights and the speakers have already been chosen ahead of time. Everyone on the stage only whispers, to keep a mellow vibe. It’s soft live music and a great way to fall asleep.

For the rooms that are dropping gems of knowledge. Remember to put the knowledge you receive into practice.

*I’ll come back to update this post as I learn more about ClubHouse from using it.