Clubhouse, or an interactive take on podcasts, is the recent app to have climbed up the popularity staircase lately. The reason? COVID-19. When the Coronavirus lockdown was upon us, our sudden all-time switch to the digital world led us into looking for various platforms to interact seamlessly with one another and Clubhouse proved to be one of the many such examples.
The app took further steps to fame when Elon Musk, a popular name in the tech world, decided to conduct an audio session on the app, leading us to wonder, “what is it all about?” And this is why I am here. If you have heard the word Clubhouse a lot many times, followed by people’s urge to get an invite to it, this is the right place for you to know all about it.
What is Clubhouse app?
Clubhouse or you can call it the modern-day, unanimated ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, is an iOS app where people can interact via the audio mode of communication. It is more like a podcast platform that gives you a space to talk about several topics (with a number of people or a single person), based on the interests that you can choose by all means before you start with the Clubhouse journey. But, it’s like an elite group, which requires you to get an invite first and then join it.
Introduced by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth, the app lets you create a conversation room, which mirrors the idea of a con-call wherein you can either be a silent spectator or the talker.
It is currently nearly an 11-month old baby but already has millions of downloads on the App Store, even when it is just limited to a set audience. Its popularity balloon seems to have further exploded after Twitter introduced a look-alike by the name Spaces and guess who’s hopping onto the cloning bandwagon? Facebook. The Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media platform is expected to come up with its own version of Clubhouse too.
Having reached the glorious height in such a short span of time has led people into thinking if audio is the new way of communicating.
How to get a Clubhouse invite?
Clubhouse is invite-only and you would need an invite to start using it. The way to go about it is that an existing Clubhouse member should send you an invite via text message on your mobile number.
Once you get it, you will have to follow the link in the message (which will lead you to the sign-up page), sign up, and start using the app. Upon becoming a part of the app, you will get two invites to ask people if they want to join the club too. There are chances that you will get more invites in your bank if you participate more.
How to download Clubhouse app?
No new information but Clubhouse is an iOS beta app that is only available on the Apple App Store. While getting started needs a process, downloading it doesn’t. All you need to do is open the App Store> Look up for the Clubhouse app> Tap on it and then download it.
While it feels like a bummer that the platform is restrictive, the app is soon expected to come out of beta and be available for all, even Android users. This will prove to be a win-win for all: all of us will get to use the app and the app will get more downloads, hence more popular, hence more money!
How to get started?
Once you have downloaded the app, all you have to do is follow these steps:
Step 1: Follow the invite link and start signing up.
Step 2: You now need to enter your phone number.
Step 3: Following this, you will be welcomed and the source of the invite will be revealed.
Step 4: Now, you need to set up your profile by entering your full name, selecting a username, and adding a photo (which is optional). You will be also required to provide the app with permissions such as access to contacts, a microphone, and more.
Step 5: Now, you have to select your interests from a variety of options available in various genres and then let the app send you notifications.
Step 6: Once all this is done, you will be asked to follow a number of people or can choose to not follow the list and follow people eventually.
Once you are on the app, you will find the homepage that houses all the conversation rooms in the middle. The search icon, the invite count, the feed, the notification bell icon, and your profile will be available in the top part. The options to ‘Start a room’ and see people who are available to chat are present in the bottom part.
Clubhouse seems like a pretty interesting take on audio-based interactions over social media, different from the usual social media platforms in existence. With it becoming more and more popular, there are chances the app becomes the next ‘Facebook’ who took over the dominance of Orkut back in time when we were kids!
