What Is Clubhouse Social Audio Drop-In App?

Clubhouse is a new social app that lets users connect and converse in real time, with casual drop-in style audio chat ‘rooms’. Meet with friends or speak to people from all over the world, simply by using your voice.

The brainchild of founders Paul Davison and Rohan Seth (Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with previous links to Google and Metaweb Technologies), Clubhouse is also a groundbreaking platform for business. It provides endless networking opportunities outside the constraints of a specific industry or niche, and a dedicated audio-only space to debate the big issues with a live audience of engaged listeners – eliminating the echo chambers of traditional social media platforms and promoting the value of social listening and fresh insight.

But what is most intriguing about the Clubhouse app, is its exclusivity. Users can only join by invitation, helping to fuel the huge buzz around the platform. Since launching the private beta version of the app this week, membership has skyrocketed from 16,000 to over 56,000 active users in a single day. And that number is still climbing. Even celebrities like Shawn Mendes, Oprah, Drake and Ashton Kutcher are in on the action. Clearly, it’s a Clubhouse we all want to get into. So what’s all the fuss about?

Here are 5 key things to know about the Clubhouse app:

1) It’s invite-only and exclusive to iPhone

While anyone can sign up for the waitlist, only current Clubhouse users can invite their friends, colleagues and phone book contacts to join the app. Android users will also have to wait their turn; at the moment Clubhouse is exclusive to iPhone users and can only be downloaded from the App Store.

2) It creates authentic conversation

The unique audio-only nature of the Clubhouse app means that conversation is driven and enriched by its users. Solely reliant on vocal interaction, Clubhouse users can sit back and listen in, or speak up and be heard. It’s a fantastic opportunity to vocalise your thoughts in a public forum, collaborate and learn from others. By focusing on audio, users benefit from hearing the subtle, engaging nuances and intonations in natural speech that aren’t usually conveyed in written text messages. It’s a much more humanised concept.

3) There are 4 different room types to explore

·        Open rooms are exactly that – open to all users. A great way to meet new people, simply drop in and join the conversation.

·        Social rooms are restricted to users you follow, giving you an opportunity to host more intimate chats with people you trust or who share a common interest.

·        Closed rooms are private and accessed by invitation only, just like creating a WhatsApp group. These are ideal for conversations with specific people, particularly useful for hosting business networking bubbles.

·        Welcome rooms are essentially small ‘newbie’ rooms, and a great place to get to grips with the app and its features with the help of more experienced users.

4) Clubs help you meet people with similar interests

Similar to Reddit threads and Facebook groups, ‘clubs’ are topic-specific rooms that users can create and join to discuss their favourite things with like-minded people, or debate wider issues. These clubs help keep live conversations on-track and relevant to a particular subject, also attracting people with a proven interest. Businesses may find it useful to dip into these, to find and engage with potential leads, customers or partners with a common interest or need.

5) It’s a networking app like no other

Once you’re a member, there are no limits to who you can talk to. No gatekeeping, other than the rooms you access. Simply join a room and have your say! Drawing influence from popular social media channels, while adding a refreshing audio twist that has broad appeal and adds warmth to the channel, Clubhouse is a melting pot of cultures, industries and opinions that just works.

Despite its infancy, the Clubhouse app is already proving to be a sensation among celebs, consumers, and business professionals alike. Its exponential growth is expected to continue as more people join the exclusive platform daily. It’s safe to say that Clubhouse opens the door of opportunity for all – if you can bag an invitation, that is.