If you haven’t heard already, Clubhouse is the new kid on the social media block, and people are raving about it. But don’t all rush at once! It’s still in exclusive ‘private beta’ mode, meaning if you want in, you need an invite.
Not in the club yet? Don’t fret! Luckily for you (and us!) we were able to secure an invite and so we can tell you all about it.
Clubhouse is a live, audio-only (hello to networking in your pyjamas!), social media app. The company describes itself as ‘a new type of social product based on voice that allows people everywhere to talk, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships and meet new people around the world’. Members must be at least 18 years old and, for now, it’s only available to iPhone users.
Once you secure that magic invite however, you can choose who to follow and select topics that interest you. You can even send a couple of invites out yourself! The people that you follow and the topics you select then curate the ‘rooms’ that you can see once you first enter the app into the ‘Hallway’. The Hallway is something like Instagram’s Explore page, where you can scroll through and discover different rooms, containing real live people talking about all different topics, from music to parenting, house plant care and social media marketing. So basically, if someone you follow enters a Room about social media, that Room will appear in your Hallway and you can join the discussion. Easy, right?
Once you’re in a Room, you automatically join the ‘Audience’ as a muted listener. Imagine if you were able to drop into a live recording of a podcast and you’ll get what we mean. The Moderators are the ones with the mic and can speak at leisure. If you’ve got something to add, you can ‘Raise Your Hand’. The moderator will then approve your request to speak, leaving you free to ask questions, comment and actively join the discussion.
Once you get going, you can even start your own ‘Room’ and discussion, use the calendar to schedule your own event or browse other events to find something you might be interested in.
So who else is using Clubhouse? Well if you join, you’d be in excellent company. Musicians Estelle and Drake are on platform, as well as Hollywood Actors Jared Leto and Ashton Kutcher. Even the queen of chat, Oprah Winfrey is on there – and you know she knows a good thing when she sees one.
Sounds good right? Can’t wait to join? Well, although membership is growing (it’s definitely easier to grab an invite now than it was at the beginning of January), it looks like the platform may stay invite-only for a while yet. But there are still ways you may be able to blag your way in. First, download the app. Clubhouse will scan your phone’s contacts to see if there’s anyone you already know who’s a member. If you do, they’ll be notified and can grant you access. Otherwise, as with all real-life Clubhouses, there’s also a waitlist you can join. This will appear when you open the app for the first time.
So what are you waiting for? (Other than an invite of course!) We’ll see you in the Clubhouse!