📱Launched in April, Clubhouse is a startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz.
The App is voice-only and consisting of rooms where speakers are discussing topics.
Audience members can raise their hands to ask questions or comment. The host can invite people on the “stage” with them to talk.
Think of this as a virtual conference on a variety of topics. There are limited distractions with no chat functions, so you stay very focused on the issues at hand.
My descent down the rabbit hole…
I heard about Clubhouse from Social Media Maven Sue Koch. She had a Facebook post on the new platform. I followed her directions and downloaded the Clubhouse App, and requested a user handle. Mine is @joesolari if you want to follow me and get notifications of rooms I host.
I let Sue know, but she didn’t get a notification of me joining.
Sue came over with her dog Presley over for a doggie playdate, and she dropped Clubhouse knowledge while we were socially distanced.
She invited my wife Suze, and then Suze invited me. That got me into the Clubhouse.
The Good
If you can get in now, you are getting early access with few constraints. You can quickly contact through an Instagram DM or on LinkedIn after you have a conversation.
Network Effect
What I find interesting is the networking on the platform. You can easily connect with others by connecting through conversation then reaching out. This is old school networking (strong ties) with a dose of virality (weak ties).
What do I mean by this?
It is like being at a seminar and speaking with the keynote speaker and mingling at the break. You get the ability to meet new and interesting people that can inspire, mentor, or connect you. It also brings in social media’s weak ties, allowing you to connect with a more diverse audience than your COVID bubble allows.
You’ll get access to people you may have thought impossible to contact. Wind up is you should think about building a peer and customer network in this early phase.
Cumulative Advantage
Early entrants will achieve an advantage that they can leverage in future rounds. By design, they have given those that get on the platform an opportunity to build connections and authority with others that also are advantaged.
The Bad
I may be sensitive to this, but there appeared to be a lot of funnels driven. Let me share my get rich scheme and coach you folks on the platform. It could just be the rooms I visited. I now make sure I take inventory of the rooms I spend time in. I will not stick around because of some high-profile speakers if it is all about selling me stuff.
I want to find those aligned with what I seek to achieve- connections, collaborations, and mutual nurturing.
The Ugly
Currently, the platform is only open to iPhone. This leaves out the majority of phone users. They will eventually have an Android solution, but it’s not going to be soon.
It’s Buggy
The first weekend I was on, the number of users nearly doubled. Rooms were crashing, hosts were getting kicked out, and all other sorts of beta issues. That being said, the founders had been hard at work, adding features and fixing problems.
FOMO
The Fear of Missing out can be productivity-killing. I’ve looked at my phone, wondering what rooms were open. It’s been a way to connect with folks I respect and miss from the indie publishing community. If you’re the type of person who stays up to the wee hours at a conference talking shop, then you’ll also fall prey to the fear of missing out.
How to get in
If you’re an iPhone user, you can download the App from the App Store for free. Once it opens on your phone, go to and reserve a handle.
Doing this, existing members who have you in their phonebook (yes, you give Clubhouse access to your phonebook) will see you and invite you.
For Android
You may see Apps in the store, but those are scams. Don’t use them as who knows what their real purpose is.
If you do join
Please ping @joesolari so I can follow you and we can see how we can help each other. 📱
Joe Solari
Instagram| @joesolari _writes
Clubhouse| @joesolari
#clubhouse #socialmedia #2021