Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you have likely heard people mention Clubhouse. Clubhouse is a fairly new audio-based social platform. Currently available for iPhone only, the idea is that you will “like” groups and people with interests similar to yours and hop into moderated conversations or start your own. Only designated speakers are able to talk, but the moderators are able to bring up additional speakers from the “audience”. There are groups set up for a wide range of topics. I found several related to my other job that are very informative. There seem to be a lot of groups dedicated to the art of making money. People have mentioned to me that they have done deals with people who they met on Clubhouse and there are even “Shark Tank”-like groups that allow people to pitch a business idea to the moderators who will then give you advice on your pitch and in some cases even decide whether to invest or not.
Honestly, I can’t say that I completely “get” Clubhouse. Yes, I understand what it does and why people use it, but the thought of spending hours listening (yes, some of these conversations go on for HOURS) to people talking (let’s face it…on the phone), doesn’t sound particularly appealing. The conversations aren’t recorded, so you can’t come back to them later, but you can connect with people after if you choose to follow them. Clubhouse will tell you when they schedule a chat or start an impromptu one. Friends can also ping you to join conversations they think may interest you.
I personally would rather be able to listen at my leisure, but I can get the attraction of the impact of listening to someone and being able to get direct feedback. Sometimes celebrities and subject matter experts do Clubhouse chats answering questions or giving out some great information to listeners. I have briefly been in a room where Ava DuVernay was giving a talk. Even Zuckerberg has held chats on Clubhouse.
DuVernays and Zuckerbergs aside, I would be cautious taking advice from random people. Some people are genuine, of course, but there are also loads of “get rich quick schemes” running rampant in environments like this. Be sure to do your homework before you do any deals or exchange any money with someone you meet on Clubhouse. (I would advise that in any situation anyway, not just with Clubhouse or other social media platforms.)
As with nearly any technology, Clubhouse can be vulnerable to bugs and data breaches. It is currently in invite-only stage, so you have to sign up for the waitlist in the app unless you have a friend already in who can invite you.
