Over the last few weeks, a handful of people have generously reached out to me with invitations to Clubhouse. I wasn’t sure what Clubhouse even was, so I looked into it…and decided not to join.
Clubhouse is an app that allows you to host and join audio-only conversations with other users (see more details here, but that’s basically it).
So it it essentially a group phone call? Or a Zoom call? In terms of the technology, kind of. But in terms of how it’s actually used, it’s more like you’re at a big intellectual house party where there’s a different speaker in every room, and you can wander from room to room. In each room, you can just listen, or you can raise your hand and potentially be selected to speak, and everyone can hear you.
As a strong believer in the power of forming genuine connections with people in relation to Stonemaier Games, I love the concept. But there are two major barriers (in my opinion) that make me greatly prefer Facebook Live instead:
- Conversations on Clubhouse are transient–they are not recorded. I greatly prefer permanently discoverable and discussable content, because (a) your time is valuable, so why spend it to reach 10 people today when the conversation could reach 10,000 people over the next few years and (b) anyone who isn’t available on Clubhouse right now can’t join the conversation. They might be working or sleeping or doing any variety of other things, and since you can’t record and share a Clubhouse conversation later, they can’t listen and participate on their schedule later. I use Facebook Live for my weekly chats (10:00 am CT on the Stonemaier Games FB page), and those videos are permanently on Facebook; I put them on YouTube afterwards so anyone can participate even if they’re not on Facebook.
- Moderation, participation, and flow. If you create a room in Clubhouse, you can just start talking, and people can join the room to listen. But if participants want to say or ask something, they need to raise a virtual hand and be selected by the host to speak. This has the potential to be really cool, especially with a talented moderator–imagine having the opportunity to ask your favorite author a question out loud and having them answer. However, Facebook Live (and Streamyard, and other platforms) enables the exact same thing, except participants don’t need to wait for your permission to speak. They can simply type their thoughts in the comments, which means that the host can read them in real time and choose which comments to read out loud. I think that contributes to a much smoother flow than having people take turns to speak, and it’s much more inviting to introverts.
The good news is that Clubhouse could add both of these features (recordability and text comments). If they do, I would probably try it, but Facebook Live has worked so well for me that I’d probably just stick with that.
I know it’s somewhat suspect that I’m sharing my thoughts on a platform that I haven’t used. But I also wouldn’t test drive a car if it didn’t include windows and a steering wheel. I am curious, though, if you’ve used Clubhouse as a creator or participant and what you thought about the experience.
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7 Comments on “Is Clubhouse a Must-Have Tool for Entrepreneurs?”
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This is a good article to answer your question:
https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/how-my-partner-turned-clubhouse-into-a-150-hour-side-hustle-aa711e215401
I don’t think it’s mandatory, certainly. But I do think it could be a good opportunity if someone is willing to put the time in and understand the platform.
One thing I’ve been thinking of in my spare time: Is there an audio only game that could be played in a clubhouse room? I haven’t come up with anything interesting yet, but it’s a fun design constraint.
Well, to answer with a Stonemaier Game: Rolling Realms can be played over Clubhouse. Everybody would have to print his own PnP sheet of Rolling Realms (or use a digital implementation) and one speaker would announce the dice rolls. You wouldn’t be able to show off your lovely filled realms though, and there would be no way to check for cheating. But technically, it’s possible. :)
That could certainly work — However I’m talking about a game designed specifically for the audio only environment.
I agree with you. I think their broad success comes from the fresh presentation of the system, the perceived access to influencers, and the clever “perceived scarcity” of invitations, But in the end it’s a one-to-many or some-to-many delivery system that’s audio only, and if that’s the shelf on which it’s ultimately filed it’s a crowded shelf with many older products outpaced by Zoom, Twitch and YouTube.
I have yet to try it but would be interested. I fully understand your point on the marketability and value of a recording. I feel there may be a way to have it recorded via secondary app or other recording equipment.
In my mind however I see this as a platform for networking with fellow creatives rather than connecting with an audience. (Like a group chat LinkedIn)
I have tried out Clubhouse quite a bit, and I don’t really like it. The main reason is one you also mention: it isn’t recorded. It’s great to have and hear live interaction, but I feel like I’m missing out on so many interesting talks by not being available at the right time. Besides that, 90% of the talks on Clubhouse sooner or later are about… Clubhouse. It all feels a bit elite and exclusive. I don’t have the feeling that a Stonemaier presence would be an added value. I’m more of a podcast and YouTube guy.
At work we recently used Gather Town which sounds Similar to Clubhouse.
Gather Town has people set up “rooms” and other places in a 8 bit style (think Original Zelda) with avatars that people can wander around. Presentation can be sectioned to rooms, and you can converse with people close to you, and as you wander it connects you to audio/videochat of the other avatars your close to, so like an IRL meeting.
We had planned to play jackbox games via embedded twitch streams, but what happened organically is people grouped up and just had conversations and gabbed like they would at a normal office party.
I can see clubhouse being an extension of a Entrepreneur meetup where you can do something similar, but its voice only. Something that could scale who could be available when you can’t all meet in the same physical space, It has potential, but it would boil down to how good your moderator is, to how well it would work.
Another interesting format of this is Stereo, which allows people to prerecord their questions and do Q&A’s with people, and hosts can choose the questions live or before hand, and you can hear the actual people ask and then get answers. I’ve seen a few podcasts using this for interacting with their audiences.