Does the Clubhouse App Live Up to the Hype?

Connect with me through your favorite platform: https://pods.link/aardvarkgirl If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for topics, email [email protected] or find me on social @aardvarkgirl. If you want to work with me, that’s where you’ll find me, too. -- There’s a new-ish social media app called Clubhouse. It’s still in its beta form and is currently only available to iPhone users, and only by invitation. You can find me there @aardvarkgirl. If you’re not on it, don’t tune out yet. You may have heard all the hype and wonder what it’s all about. You may have seen posts on other social platforms with people asking, sometimes even begging for an invitation. You may be asking uh, what is Clubhouse? It’s not like me to get excited about another app. I haven’t made it a secret that I’m not the best at social media. I’m not consistent with posting because I don’t love it and often don’t feel like I have much to say or share. Ironic coming from a podcaster who’s talking every week, right?  But I am finding a ton of value in Clubhouse. And because it seems to be such a hot topic, I wanted to chat with you about it. Clubhouse is an audio-based social media app. There are no visuals except for your profile picture. There aren’t any DMs. Nothing is recorded (at least it’s not supposed to be). It’s all real-time conversations. Think about the old school chat rooms back in the 90s when the Internet was gaining in popularity. It’s like that but with voice instead of text. So for me, it eliminates a lot of those things I don’t love about social media, like the need to constantly create content if you want to stay relevant. My friend Tiffany introduced me to Clubhouse in December of 2020, about 8 months after it was formed. I hadn’t heard about it yet but after doing a little research I was really curious to check it out. Fortunately, we were both able to get invitations that night so I could start exploring. As a podcaster, the idea of having actual discussions about topics was appealing. Especially when factoring in that I wouldn’t have to spend any time trying to create an appealing graphic or photo or video. I could just show up and offer my input where it was needed. When you join, you can create rooms based on topics you want to discuss, or join other people’s rooms. You can silently listen in or you can raise your hand if you want to go “on stage” and speak. The moderators accept you and keep everyone organized, if they’re doing it right, so no one is talking over each other. Beyond that, there aren’t really any rules as far as how long a room will be open, what topics are available, or anything else. You can find all kinds of themes and moderation styles. There are rooms that last a few minutes and some will continue all day, overnight, and keep going into the next day. If you consistently host rooms, eventually you’ll be given the ability to start a club. Then people can follow your club and you can invite them to join and you can build up a whole new network that way. People are offering so much value in these rooms. Yes, some people are pushing their own brand and products and looking for sales. You’ll never be able to get away from that. But so many people will jump in and just want to help or offer their own input and advice from their experiences. The app started with celebrities, and many of them are still in there actively participating in conversations. Not just actors, but also entrepreneurs and experts in so many areas of business. Do you want some marketing advice from Grant Cardone? He’s on there pretty much every day. Do you have a question for Tiffany Haddish? She’s there, too, offering her raw and unfiltered perspective. I got to have a discussion with Justine Bateman about the documentary I produced. These are conversations that aren’t possible elsewhere. Of course, as an introvert, it can be a little intimidating talking to strangers. Didn’t our parents teach us not to do that anyway? I don’t