Ah, yes. Clubhouse, have you heard of it?
In case you haven’t or you’re still new to the app, Clubhouse is “a new type of social network based on voice—where people around the world come together to talk, listen and learn from each other in real-time.”
The way I explain it, it’s a live Podcast episode with no playbacks. You can hop into different “rooms” and be a fly on the wall while listening to the panel.
In this photo reference, the top half is the panel of speakers running the show. Usually, one person leads the conversation, but other times, it could be a free for all.
Underneath is a section dedicated to “Followed by the speakers.” Pretty self-explanatory. If one of the speakers is following you, your image will populate there.
Everyone else in the crowd will pop up into the “Others in the room” section, AKA the rest of the attendees.
When you’re in a room, you have the option to share this chat with someone to tune into as well, raise your hand so you can have a chance to speak on the “digital stage,” or leave the room quietly.
The thing I like the most? You can close the app or search within the app without worrying about the audio cutting off. As mentioned, like a podcast!
But what do people talk about?
I’ll tell it to you straight, when I first got on the app, I had no idea what people talked about. I’m still figuring that out two months later, but topics could vary on all ends of the spectrum, from what I’ve noticed. One moment you’re listening to people moan like whales (seriously); the next, you’re hopping in on Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, who both maxed out their rooms.
The point is, you can get anything and everything out of the Clubhouse. The main topic I’ve seen on my feed are a lot of topics related to “Tips to Marketing,” “How to grow followers fast,” “How to make money,” etc.
Okay, but what’s the downside?
One of my major complaints about Clubhouse is that everyone is somehow an expert on something. I’m not here to toot my own horn, but hey, I come from a Marketing background and have had years in it. When I hear the advice coming from so many “marketing tycoons,” I roll my eyes so hard.
You’ll see what I mean once you get a chance to explore the app. One of my worst pet peeves is the bios. Oh my goodness, people go all out to remind you how spammy people could be. Don’t believe me? There’s literally a website dedicated to the over-the-top Clubhouse bio.
It seems that somehow everyone is out of this world, top-level at their job, and honestly, good for them. But when I listen to what the panel is saying and the advice the panelists give out, there’s something in me that screams, “This is not real advice. This is something out of a YouTube step-by-step.”
But not all rooms are the same.
As much as I could hate bios and the type of speakers, I will say there are also a handful of educational rooms out there. Follow along with your favorite influencers or people within your industry. More often than not, they’re on Clubhouse, and they will be speaking.
I’m thrilled when someone I follow is going to hop on and share some wisdom. I’m a sucker for taking in all the information I need, so I am grateful for this platform to be able to do just that.
SO SHOULD YOU JOIN OR SKIP?
I say give Clubhouse a try. You’ll soon see Facebook create something very similar, and Twitter is already working on a feature called Spaces that is essentially the same thing as Clubhouse. You know how the social media giants like to do; they see something they like, they create something similar. (The horror story that is Stories!!!)
Unfortunately, Clubhouse is unavailable for Androids, but the day the app allows the masses to the public will be an exciting one for the developers but overwhelming for an everyday consumer like me.
