What is Clubhouse? All you need to know about the new social app

The audio-based social app “Clubhouse” is the talk of the town at the moment. Many still don’t know what exactly the app is all about and how to sign up for it. We give you an overview of the new Clubhouse hype.

The “Clubhouse” App – An Overview

Unlike other social media apps, you can’t just sign up for Clubhouse right now. You can download the app in the App Store and get a username, but to register, you need an invitation link from an existing Clubhouse member. Nevertheless, here is an overview of the new app.

• The Clubhouse app follows an innovative concept that literally makes you sit up and take notice. It is an audio-only app that focuses primarily on the voice of the user. According to the company’s description, it is intended to give people the opportunity to speak, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships or meet new, interesting people from all over the world.
• There are various rooms within the app in which conversations on specific topics take place. As a user, you can decide for yourself whether you simply want to listen to the conversation or actively participate in it yourself.
• Unlike popular social media platforms such as Instagram and other apps, Clubhouse does not have a like or comment function.
• For Android users, there is currently no way to download the app and log into Clubhouse.

How Clubhouse works

The already mentioned rooms play a crucial role in Clubhouse. Every user of the app has the option of either opening a room themselves or joining a public room. Those who prefer to keep to themselves can also open a private room to communicate undisturbed with their friends.

• If you are in a room that interests you, you can take on three different user roles.
• Moderators lead the discussions and have the task of turning users into active speakers by bringing them onto the virtual “stage”. Moderators also have the authority to remove speakers from the stage.
• As a speaker, you take an active part in the conversation and can contribute speeches.
• If you prefer to enter a room as a listener, you can first just listen passively and follow the discussion – just like a live podcast. If you do want to contribute during the conversation, you can simply press a button and give the moderator a hand signal to bring you on stage.
• Using a calendar view, there is an overview for scheduled rooms so that you do not miss any exciting discussion rounds for you.

More interesting features

On your profile you can link your other social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and Co. You also have the option to send a link to your Clubhouse profile or your club. To do this, either go to the share icon on your profile or to “Share a Link” on the club page.

• Clubhouse also has clubs on various topics that you can join for better orientation. This feature is reminiscent of Facebook groups, but again, it is only audio-based.
• If a party emoji is displayed next to your own user profile picture or also next to that of another user, it means that that user has only been a member of Clubhouse for less than a week. This allows you and others to recognize new users and provide you with advice and support if needed.
• If you are following an exciting discussion on Clubhouse, you can add people to it at any time. To do so, click on the plus sign, which you will find next to the raise hand sign. However, you can only bring users into the room whom you follow and who in turn also follow you.
• If you want to invite people to Clubhouse, they don’t necessarily have to be in your contacts. You also have the option to type the phone number in the app and send the invitation that way.
• To start a club, you need to scroll down to the bottom of your personal profile, to the end of your club list. There you can press the “+” button to start a new club. For this option, however, you must have been active on the platform for a while and have already had your say a few times.
• Sometimes it’s worth adjusting the audio quality of your presentation. For example, if you want to perform a song, set the audio quality to “High” in advance to get the best possible sound. On the other hand, if you have poor reception, you can set the audio quality to “Low” to have less interference.

Who created the Clubhouse app?

The Clubhouse app was developed by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth with their start-up Alpha Exploration Co. from the USA. Both have worked for search engine giant Google in the past.