What is Clubhouse? A Primer

You may have heard about the new social media app called Clubhouse.

I had heard about it vaguely through some non-professional channels. A few entertainment podcasts I listened to. Never paid much attention and I’ve pretty much detoxed from social media since the 2016 election.

Eventually my guy Zach Roesinger hooked me up with an invite just before New Year.

So I hopped on thinking this would be another fad I’ll try for a week then get bored.

2 weeks later and I’m an addict.

I’m old enough to remember party lines from the 90’s. This is the 21st century version.

I think it’s an absolute game changer and I wanted to write an article getting my thoughts out now that I’m about two weeks into using the app.

What is Clubhouse?

A new social media platform featuring live-talk and conversations centered around specific topics. The app does not allow text, video, or photo sharing and all rooms are voice-only. You can join the audience and listen to the nuggets of information being shared, or raise your hand for a chance to get on stage and participate in the conversation.

FOR NOW IPHONE ONLY

Here’s some quick tips for all CH newbies:

• Start off in a Welcome group if you can find one. Will help you get oriented to the application.
• Start off by just listening to the LARGER rooms. Most of these rooms will likely be listen only anyway as you may not have the cachet to be invited as a moderator (yet). Just listen in, soak up knowledge and take lots of notes.
• See if you can join smaller rooms which will open up possibilities to participate in the conversation and get you warmed up.
• Start adding your friends and other interesting people. This app is different from others in that people you follow doesn’t exactly mean your timeline will be full of their posts like IG or FB. It simply means you’ll know when those people are in a room as a moderator or guest.

My take on why CH is a hit:

• You can listen in on privileged conversations never before available. Some of the gold being dropped in some of these rooms is insane. People pay 5 figures for masterminds for some of this knowledge.
• Listen and participate from anywhere. From your bed. In your bathroom. At work. Shopping. Walking. In the gym. Whenever you feel like it. Can’t do that w video.
• No recording or fear of your words being used against you. Content and conversations on here more authentic than other platforms and you can feel it.
• Broadcasts you way more than possible elsewhere. It’s basically a radio station you get to advertise on for free if you want traffic or if you just want good conversation to listen to or participate in you can do so.
• It’s the ultimate give give give get model enhancer. No one is charging for knowledge shared on here. You can really test someone out across multiple interactions in an organic setting than a scripted ad or IG post or podcast. Hearing their voice in unscripted settings is really
• It’s the least invasive social app out there. No one needs to see what you look like. No direct IM’s thru platform (have to use IG and/or Twitter). You don’t have to interact if you don’t want to. You control your experience top to bottom.
• It’s the only platform that lets you be part live streamer, part podcast host and part community manager.

I heard CH is already the stickiest app ever. People are spending more time inside the app than anything before. There’s a reason for that.

Thoughts on the Future of CH

1. Enjoy it while it lasts cause monetization is around the corner. Remains to be seen what that does to it.
2. My prediction : Facebook is going to snatch them up fast and merge with Instagram. Why? Listening to rooms while scrolling the visual feed and pics, combined with IG DM’s will have eyeballs glued to screen and long app sticky times which = advertising heaven. Only matter of time.
3. This form and podcasting may have to figure out how to coexist. I think a lot of people who went hard on podcasting may realize they get way more listens on CH than they ever will on their podcast, even if podcast can be listened to later.

What say you? Are you a user? What do you like/dislike about it? Anyone interested in hopping in a room and discussing further? Who needs an invite? How do you think platform evolves?

Really curious to hear your thoughts!!!

James (“Jim”) Morales is the Chief Financial Officer for Grant Cardone’s group of multimillion dollar businesses. Jim has over 20 years of experience working for well-known companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Volvo, Sony, Sysco and Burger King as well as consulting for several early stage companies. His unique combination of Strategy, Finance, IT, Project Management and Organizational Design experience gives Jim the ability to look at an organization holistically and turn vision into action. Jim built multiple departments from ground up providing strategic and financial leadership to the C suite and has implemented strategic management systems using the Balanced Scorecard framework. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®), Certified Management Accountant (CMA®), Certified in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A™) and Certified in Strategy & Competitive Analysis (CSCA™).