Stay-at-home mandates throughout 2020 caused everyone to rethink how they connect with other humans while social distancing. In a time when people were isolated from one another, virtual happy hours, working and group events became the norm.
Launched in March 2020, Clubhouse, a new audio-only app, allows users from around the world to connect with people who share similar interests with them via its virtual chat room platform.
According to TechCrunch, Clubhouse surpassed 8 million downloads in its first year, and jumped from 3.5 million global downloads to 8.1 million in just 15 days, between February 1-16, 2021. The app has seen a rapid increase in users since its launch and is regarded for connecting people in a way that no other app has, even attracting some famous users including Oprah Winfrey, Scooter Braun and Ashton Kutcher.
In an upcoming series on The UPSIDE blog, we will cover the basics of Clubhouse, how you can position yourself as a thought leader on the app and more.
The Basics
Clubhouse rooms can be started by any user and are based on a particular topic. Once the rooms are started, the experience is similar to listening to a podcast or webinar that you can participate in.
Users can follow and be followed by friends, colleagues or random users, and can join or start networking groups (called “Clubs”) based on topics or areas of interest.
Users
As of July 21, 2021, the app is no longer invite-only. Additionally, after only having been available for iPhone users for its first year, Clubhouse is now available for Android users as well.
Clubs
Within the app are smaller, segmented communities that can be based on any topic — like Marketing Professionals, Bay Area Locals or Film Lovers. Clubs can have both members and followers, where members have the ability to schedule rooms and followers can simply join rooms once they are created.
Rooms
Rooms are where the conversations happen on the app. Rooms can be listed as open or closed, where closed rooms are private and open rooms can be joined by anyone.
There is no limit on what people can discuss on the Clubhouse app. From virtual book clubs to panels hosted by industry leaders, you would be hard-pressed to find a topic that isn’t being discussed on the app. Because rooms can be started by any user, and users self-moderate, conversations on the app are candid and unfiltered.
While anyone can join open rooms, group moderators are able to designate speakers. Other participants can request to speak during the conversations and contribute to the conversation.
Although Clubhouse is considered a social media app, the platform’s lack of an algorithm sets it apart by allowing users to find random rooms rather than feeding them content based on their activity on the app.
Clubhouse has already made a mark on the social media landscape, allowing users to carve out space to connect deeper than other apps have allowed in the past. It is one of the first — and by far the most popular — app that has emphasized audio features that have been historically neglected on other platforms.
Industry experts and analysts expect the app to see steady, rapid growth, especially when the app goes public. Be sure to subscribe to The UPSIDE to learn more about how you can leverage Clubhouse’s features to work for your business or clients.