Clubhouse: whys and wherefores
“…I’ve been here since Wednesday, I can’t get out”, “ …it’s really addictive” — typical phrases you hear in the rooms of the new social network Clubhouse. It was launched in the spring of 2020, but became widely known after Elon Musk announced on Twitter that he would be there on January 31.
You can start using the network only after invitation or being approved by the people in your contact book, who are already there. And only if you have iOS — the app doesn’t work on Android yet.
And what’s going on inside the app?
This social network is already known for talks about startups, investments and venture capitalists. Users can successfully pitch their ideas to well-known investors.
There’s a lot of talk about EdTech, promotion on Instagram and Tiktok, marketing and design.
Rooms with a famous speaker are always popular among visitors. The following speakers have already joined the Clubhouse:
- Elon Musk — founder of SpaceX, The Boring Company, co-founder and investor in Tesla.Inc, Neurolink, etc.
- Mark Zuckerberg — cofounder of Facebook and Breakthrough Starshot
- Malcolm Gladwell — journalist, author, and public speaker
- Ben Horowitz — co-founder and general partner at the Andreessen Horowitz, author
- Kai-Fu Lee — founding director of Microsoft Research Asia, president of Google China
To accumulate followers, there are so-called silent groups. One of them is called “Silent group for people with interesting bio”.
Speaking of bio. There is no video content, no way to record audio, and no place to write posts. Therefore, users pay special attention to their profile bio. They often write about what they have achieved, where they have worked and what they are looking for in the network: partners, jobs, employees, investments or a startup to invest in.
In the same bio, users indicate their logins in other social networks to connect later. In the Clubhouse there is no correspondence option, not even likes or dislikes. But there is still moderation. You can often distinguish a good room by the moderators, who let the users speak out, manage the dialogue and direct the conversation.
Conversations are similar to ones on the radio, but are a lot more interactive. Remember when people tried to call on a broadcast? Here, users wanting to take part in the discussion, “raise their hands” and the moderators let them talk along with the other speakers. Conversations are lively so it becomes impossible to leave the social network. And this is one of the reasons why Clubhouse is so popular — people trust the speakers and their words.
What is the Clubhouse about?
- For now, this social network is about a personal brand. You can establish yourself as an expert in your field and find new partners.
- It’s about how you can talk. Perhaps the demand for pitching courses will increase dramatically if the Clubhouse continues to move into top gear. The moderating skills can be requested as well.
- It’s about your social circle. The number of conversations and rooms is growing every day. And the rooms you see depend on who you subscribe to. So we advise to pay attention to the people you’re planning to subscribe to.
- It’s about the absence of censorship. There are rooms where drugs and sex are freely discussed. At the same time, each room has its own laws, which are set by the moderator.
How will the Clubhouse impact the world?
Groups on the “Clubhouse future” were one of the first ones to appear. Many people are interested in what to expect from the new network and most importantly — whether to invest funds in the development of your room or not?
We believe that the Clubhouse may well have an impact on the world:
- A new studying format. Lectures and information can still be found on YouTube, but people are willing to pay for personal consultations of the experts. This can result in paid subscriptions to rooms with famous people; in a system of donations during the speeches of specialists; in joint purchases of consultations. Perhaps they will sell places at free meetings because the number of people in the room is limited.
- More startups? Possible. After all, getting access to investment has become easier. It doesn’t matter where you live, it matters what you say. Today, there is a selected audience consisting of representatives of the IT and venture capital fields.
- A new type of marketing research — you can present your idea and get feedback in a real-time mode! Where else can you gather the opinions of different people? Perhaps budgets will be spent less frequently, but more clearly and productively.
- Hiring staff. Many people have already found work in the Clubhouse. In the app you can reach out to companies that you can’t get to through emails.
- Interactive concerts. Clubhouse was created so that musicians could test their new tracks. When there is a chance to talk to a star and an idol, many will forget about sleep and will listen to the end. There are no more borders and your audience is the whole world.
That’s how the smallest app with a limited number of functions can impact the world as we know it.
