Is The Clubhouse The Next Big Social Media Platform?
Clubhouse is all of the rave currently… But how long will it last?
If you have been on Facebook or Twitter over the past week or so, you might have noticed a massive increase in posts & tweets talking about the invite only audio app Clubhouse.
What is Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is an audio based social media platform. Founded by Paul Davison & Rohan Seth, clubhouse allows you to enter or create rooms based on topics that you set. When you enter a room you will be able to hear numerous “speakers”. You then can raise your hand and the hosts & speakers are able to bring you on to chat live as well, so think if Zoom was an audio only platform that anyone could join.
Why is it blowing up?
Well, Clubhouse isn’t even an “open” project, it is still in the beta phase. Over the summer clubhouse broke into headlines with New York Times, from there it quickly turned heads in the silicon valley region in California.
Between the need for more human interaction, social distancing guidelines & many working from home, it has been the perfect storm for Clubhouse, even though it is only in “invite only” stage currently.
Celebrity Endorsements?
Anytime a new social media platform kicks off, you will always notice certain celebrities talking about it. From professional athletes all the way down to hustlers like Gary Vee. But what is different about Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is getting attention from Drake the rapper & Oprah Winfrey. When big names start joining in, everybody wants in.
How To Get Into Clubhouse?
As stated earlier, Clubhouse is currently in beta, and is an invite only app so getting on can become a bit difficult. First, download the app on your smart device & create an account. Once your account is created, you will have to wait until you are accepted in to start using the app. The other option is to try and see if any friends are already members, they are able to invite a friend to the platform and you gain instant access to start chatting away.
Will The Clubhouse App Last?
It is hard to say, apps & social media platforms are always changing and closing doors. Remember how insanely popular Vine was back in 2013? And now, it is gone & TikTok has taken over. As of now, Clubhouse is growing insanely fast, and appears to only be picking up steam, but they better open the doors to more people sooner rather than later. When apps & social media platforms release behind closed doors, or behind a paywall like Quibi attempted to do, it never seems to end well.
The Sales Side Of Clubhouse…
When logging onto Clubhouse for the first time, you might notice a large amount of rooms talking about marketing, branding, influencers, and social media, and most of them have a sales pitch or agenda. Everyone has something to sell, a story to be told, or a way to talk themselves up as a “influencer”. Don’t shy away from these people, as some of them might have information you want, but understand it is a new platform, a chance for people to have a “Fresh Start”. Anytime a new platform launches, the early adapters always jump in & make sales where every it is possible. Before we know it, we will see stories on “how I made 6/7 figures through Clubhouse”.
Sales pitches happen everywhere, whether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or when you are walking down the street and see a hotdog stand. Every post you see from a company has purpose behind it. If a “influencer” is hosting it’s own room, it has a purpose behind it. Whether it be to grow brand awareness, sell a product, or to get their name out there more.
The Good News.
Always start off with the bad, because if you can handle the bad news, the good news just feels like a bonus. As you begin to start following more & more people, you will start getting recommended rooms that are more in line with what you are looking for. As I was writing this article, I wanted to see what type of rooms I could find for the gaming niche. Surprisingly, numerous rooms are “awake & active” at nearly 4 A.M. eastern time. So, if I wanted to hop on & listen to other gamers talk, I could easily do that, or I could jump in on the conversation and share my own input.
Follow the people you have similar interests with, not just celebrities. The more you start digging through the Clubhouse app, the more you will start to find yourself listening in, and wanting to join into conversations. Find like minded people that want to chat about the same topics you do, it might take a bit to get the rooms populating the niches and topics you would like for it to, but as time goes on, you will find yourself chatting away with new friends on a Friday night.
The Verdict.
Clubhouse can be fun, entertaining, and useful for so many different areas of life. Maybe you just want to hangout and chat about one of new video games that just released, or maybe you want to talk about business with like minded people? No matter the niche, it seems that Clubhouse has a place for you even if you don’t want to talk. If you want to just listen in similar to listening to a podcast, you can most certainly do that. But if you’d like to run the show, you can always create your own room and have a say who talks & who doesn’t.
Clubhouse is fun, its trendy, and it is all of the rage. I think it can be a productive & fun spin to Zoom calls & normal social media. Now where it will be in the next 6 months & beyond, we will just have to wait & see.