What is Clubhouse and Why You Need to be On It!

Clubhouse is all the rage right now, but what exactly is it and do I need to be on it?

Clubhouse Beta

You might be surprised to know that Clubhouse, a voice-only platform, just celebrated its first birthday and is still in beta stage. That said, as of early March 2021, Club House has 12.2 million downloads from all over the world according to a town hall meeting hosted by CEO Paul Davidson. That’s an impressive number considering the platform recorded 2 million users in January 2021 and the app is only available to IOS (Apple) users. There are plans however, to expand to Android later this month.

Clubhouse IOS vs Android

As a long-term Android user and devout fan, the mere thought of buying an iPhone to access the platform was not in my mind or thoughts. Clubhouse curiosity got the better of me, and I found myself buying an iPhone just to get on the platform. Why? Because as someone in the tech and digital space I, a) could expense and justify the purchase, b) was getting a lot requests from people to join, connect and share, and c) couldn’t not be on a new social platform because I’m a massive nerd. I wanted to comment and add value, but the Android rollout was taking too long.

At this stage, Clubhouse is invitation only and requires an existing user to invite you onto the platform.

Club House

What is Clubouhse?

Clubhouse is an audio-only app, and a bit like listening to someone else’s conversation, but you can chime in and join the discussions too. You connect via rooms or clubs with other like-minded people, or you can just stumble in at will and exit quietly too if you’re not ready to vibe.

There is no video with Clubhouse, only a bio about you (and there’s a way in which you need to craft your bio for maximum visibility), which users see as an icon and image of yourself.

Unlike other social media apps and tools, there is no private messaging. So, if you want to connect and chat with others you need to link your Instagram or Twitter accounts, where you can continue with your discussion.

What am I supposed to listen to on Clubhouse?

When you access Clubhouse, the app offers a page full of conversational topics to follow, from sports to tech to world affairs to faith to “hustle” and so on. In each, you’ll find people interested in the same thing, and you can follow them. The more topics and people you follow, the more likely you are to receive suggestions for a room that fits your desires.

Are Clubhouse conversations permanent?

Conversation rooms come and go as people launch or end them. While nothing is recorded by Clubhouse, users are finding many ways to record chats. The internet is still forever.

How many people can be in a conversation?

The current limit is 5,000 people per Clubhouse room—which Musk busted through, of course. Users in that room started live-streaming the conversation to YouTube, which is one clever workaround for recording what’s said.

What do you mean by a conversation? Like a podcast?

It depends on your podcast preferences, but remember—Clubhouse users are speaking via their iPhones, not fancy audio setups. They don’t see each other, so it really is like listening in on a phone conversation. Clubhouse users won’t have to professional editing, sound effects, transitions, or advertising (at least not officially). That said, the “style” of the conversation is flexible: one room might be a casual one-on-one between friends, while another is a more formal talk-show-style interview, a big group discussion, or even a music-sharing session. If someone interesting drops into a room—like a billionaire—the room creator/moderator can put them on the “stage” as a speaker.

So, I can only listen in?

Yes you can. If you’d rather just chill down in the audience, you’re very welcome to listen to the conversation, and it’s pretty common to be signed in and have a room on, much like you would be listening to the radio or a podcast. If you did want to join in the conversation, you can virtually “raise a hand.” It’s up to the room’s creator/moderator if they grant you permission to talk but most are pretty welcoming. I suggest going into smaller rooms where you can get used to what’s going on and for the first few weeks you’ll have a party hat emoji next to your name, so people know you’re a n00b and are a bit more accommodating.

Who uses Clubhouse?

Right now, Clubhouse is for people who like to talk and enjoy having an audience—celebrities, comedians, influencers, musicians—and lurkers enjoy being a fly-on-the-wall around interesting conversations.

There are a LOT of celebrities using the app and you know when they are online, because at this stage the servers can’t keep up. Elon Musk, Oprah, Demi Lovato and even MC Hammer are users and it’s not un-common to pop in a room and see someone you need to double take on, because yep, celebs are using the platform, and often.

Eventually, as Clubhouse grows and becomes a big deal, it may be a medium we all need to join.

Connection, connection, connection.

I’ve connected with like-minded individuals across a range of industries and subject matters on Clubhouse, and the knowledge bombs and insight you get are immense.

A few of my favourite rooms and Clubs thus far have been:

Two Headed Tasmanian’s
Vegemite on Toast
Soulshine
808 Wave
Australian Music Industry
Misfit Entrepreneurs with Kate Toon
Small Business Work Hub

When you join Clubhouse conversations, you connect with and follow other people you hear chatting/ have things in common with, and then you begin to start your own rooms and chats. It’s perfect for those who are working solo and like to join in with a conversation now and then. Clubhouse gives you access to virtual colleague connections, where you can throw a question to your virtual work mates, ask each other what’s for lunch or just shoot the breeze.

Clubhouse terminology

When you first join Clubhouse will you come across a heap of related terms that you might be unfamiliar with. Things like “Reset the room”, “If I can piggy back off that” “Thanks for creating the space” and “NFT’s” are all things that are going mental and you find yourself saying on the norm.

Clubhouse for business

Can you use Clubhouse for your business? 100% yes. It’s an awesome PR and marketing tool, but I encourage you to be authentic. Chat but don’t pitch or sell, rather connect with others, host rooms where you can and create your own clubs to get in front of others. Users will contact you if they are keen to take the convo offline and this is when you can direct them to your website or business. I’ve seen my Instagram and Twitter follows go up drastically (because that’s how people connect and follow you) and it’s been a great (and slightly addictive app) which I seem getting even more momentum as the app scales and is opened-up to others.

For now, I’ll leave it at that, but if you are on the app and would like to connect you can find me via my handle Chrissysym.

Edit – 17/6/21 – Clubhouse to Android is now open and while they are rolling it out globally and you still require an invitation you can now board the CH train Android friends and users. If you require an invite or would like to jump on and see what it’s all about, drop me an email with your phone number and I can sling one your way

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