Clubhouse is a growing social network that made its appearance in 2020. During the pandemic period, Clubhouse made headlines around the world, thanks to the interactions of important figures within it. There are many prominent American personalities, such as Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, but also Italians in the world of entertainment such as Fiorello, Calcutta, Marco Montemagno, who have already made their appearance on the new platform.
Although there has been a lot of talk about it, for many it may not be clear how it works, so in this article we will look in more detail to understand what Clubhouse is and how it works .
What are the features of Clubhouse?
Clubhouse is a social networking service developed by Alpha Exploration Co. Currently only available for the iOS operating system, the application is in English. The developers inform that the Android version is also in the works and that it should arrive by the summer (even if there is an unofficial version which we talk about in the next paragraph).
Clubhouse appears to be an ambitious project through which we would like to create a new social communication channel that is completely different from its predecessors : it moves away from both the photos, stories and filters of Instagram and the Facebook wall .
However, the actions that the user can perform are not limited at all. At the center of everything in the philosophy of the new social network are voice messages and privacy .
The structure of Clubhouse resembles a cross between that of a podcast and that of a forum, thanks to its numerous rooms , created to contain the various topics chosen by users . Inside the rooms, the platform member can get into the heart of the discussion by participating in the debate or simply listening.
There are three types of users found within each room, namely the moderator, the listener and the speaker.
The moderator manages the conversation , giving or removing the right to speak to users. The listener only has the right to pay attention and listen to the conversation, while the speaker also has the right to intervene in the discussion.
Regarding privacy, the developers have made a special effort to make the service safe . Once the room you have entered is closed, its contents are deleted unless there have been infringements related to the rules. In that case, an investigation will be launched on behalf of the management team, which, if positive, will lead to the accused person being warned, expelled or reported to the police.
How do you install Clubhouse?
Clubhouse for iOS (iPhone or iPad)
The application can be easily downloaded from the App Store of your iOS device (iPhone or iPad), but this will not be enough to allow you access.
You must complete the form certifying your identity and that you are eighteen years of age. Finally, to enter you need to have an invitation , which we will talk about in detail in the next paragraph.
Clubhouse for Android
On Android, for more savvy users, an unofficial porting is available called house club, it is open source and is maintained by the developer Grishka. You can find the updated apk file on the project’s GitHub page . To download, simply click on the version number and then on ” Houseclub-release.apk “. Once the download is finished, the installation will be similar to that of any APK on Android.
The latest news reports that the official version of Clubhouse for Android will be released by the summer and it will be possible to use it without invitations.
How does the Clubhouse invitation work?
For now the registration system allows you to log in only following an invitation .
Invitations to Clubhouse can only be obtained through users who have themselves been invited onto the platform .
Each user who is logged in will have a number of invitations available equal to two; following the stay and activity carried out within Clubhouse, this number will grow over time, allowing you to have more invitations available to use to invite your acquaintances.
Downloading the application now will therefore not allow access to the contents of the platform, but will automatically send a notice of availability to join the social network to your entire address book so you can receive a reply from a friend of yours, a Clubhouse user, who will be able to invite you .
This mechanic, which may appear unnecessarily complex, the developers explain, was developed because the system is still in the beta phase. This also explains the low number of users present on the social network, which currently has around eight million people.
The number is certainly smaller than the average user of the social networks we are used to thinking about, but this does not mean that the new way of communicating conceived is different and very interesting.
The future of Clubhouse: monetization
What we know for sure today is that the future of Clubhouse seems to continue to grow. In fact, thanks to the announcement by CEO Paul Davison, also confirmed on the Twitter social platform, we are already thinking about the next step, namely the monetization of content.
It passes through new figures, similar to those already known through Youtube or Twitch, i.e. animators, or creators . These will have the role of being able to create engagement, therefore building an increasingly numerous audience of people who will follow the topics they explore in depth. Applications are open for 20 creators until March 31st .
The topics that can be addressed are the most diverse, from fitness to culture, from comedy to business.
The privileged selection criterion is certainly the activity carried out by the creator on other social networks such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitch and Youtube.
