Clubhouse

I’ve been on Clubhouse for about a week now and honestly, I love it. There is something about it that seems so authentic. It’s not pretentious at all. So far, I’ve learned how to write a rap song by Lupe Fiasco and about an investment opportunity Fanbase by Isaac Hayes III. The benefits I’ve received in such a short amount of time are undeniable. I also appreciate how there isn’t a need for me to look directly at my screen. These days I’m multitasking more than usual and appreciate the ability to just listen. I also feel like this season of COVID we are all kind of starving of spontaneous social interactions. It’s kind of cool to meet people in a way that, for lack of better words has been taken from us.

So…..

What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is a social media app. The best way I can describe it…. it’s like the “party line” we would call when we were kids. According to clubhouse, “It was designed to be a space for authentic conversation and expression—where people can have fun, learn, make meaningful connections, and share rich experiences with others around the world.” Although there is a lot of buzz around it, it’s still in beta. This just means it is not entirely open to the public yet. Don’t let that discourage you, there are literally thousands currently using and testing the app. You need an invite to get in and an iPhone. Sorry android users.

How does it work exactly?

All the convos happen in rooms. In each room, you can be a moderator, a speaker, or a listener.

Moderator:

If you start the room, you are the moderator. You can add or remove other speakers as you wish. As the moderator, you facilitate the convos and guide them at your will.

Speaker:

Speakers are the people in the room who want to and can talk. By default, the person who starts the room is a speaker, and so is the first person to join them on stage. If you want to speak, raise your hand. You may be added to the stage or may not be. It really depends on the moderator. Don’t feel offended or slighted if you aren’t chosen. They may be getting tons of requests.

Please know when to mute and unmute. We don’t need a personal soundtrack of your life messing up the convo. It is best to display some form of engagement. You can unmute to laugh, say a few hmmmms, or share general reactions. You want to be present. Just know you don’t have to stay that way. You can “Leave Quietly” if you want. This feature allows you to exit any room/convo as you please.

Listener:

When you join a room that has a live convo going, you enter in the audience automatically on mute. If you choose not to speak, just take in what is being said. Sometimes moderators will invite you to speak. There is no pressure! You can decide to remain a listener and you won’t be judged for it. If someone says something you like I suggest, tapping on their avi, reading their bio, and following them. It’s a cool way to build community. If no one tickles your fancy, head to the hallway. This is where all the rooms are displayed. You will be able to see who is talking and what they are talking about.

Rules:

• You must use a real name or identity
• You must be 18
• You may not abuse, bully, or harass
• You may not discriminate, threaten violence, or engage in hateful conduct
• You may not share, threaten to share private info without permission
• You may not transcribe, record or reproduce info shared without permission
• You may not engage in any convo or upload content that violates intellectual property
• You may no spread false info

Now be mindful of what you say and how you say it while you are in the rooms freely speaking. Clubhouse does record audio. According to clubhouse, it is “[s]olely for the purpose of supporting incident investigations, we temporarily record the audio in a room while the room is live. If a user reports a Trust and Safety violation while the room is active, we retain the audio for the purposes of investigating the incident, and then delete it when the investigation is complete. If no incident is reported in a room, we delete the temporary audio recording when the room ends. Audio from (i) muted speakers and (ii) audience members is never captured, and all temporary audio recordings are encrypted.”

The gag is that technically even though they record nothing and I mean NOTHING is saved on the app. So if you aren’t there, you miss out completely on whatever information is being shared.

As the app grows and continues to remain in beta, things are changing. No way to know for sure how much of the information you read in this post will be relevant. If you have a chance, sign up!

Let Your Clubhouse Light Shine!