What is the Clubhouse app and why it is so popular now?

 

A new application called Clubhouse has witnessed a great turnout from users over the past few days, although it has been in existence since March 2020, and its subscription requires a special invitation from those who have previously subscribed, in addition to that it is available to iOS users only, although All this, the number of users is increasing rapidly, and the number of invitations has increased to the point that some of them are being sold on eBay at fantastic prices.

Reports indicate that the huge and sudden turnout for the Clubhouse app was the result of Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX and Tesla, that he was hosting a voice conversation with Vladimir Tenev, CEO of Robinhood.

 Mask had previously supported Signal's instant messaging application - during the crisis of WhatsApp changing his privacy policy - and urged his followers to use it before encouraging them to use the Clubhouse application.

Last Saturday, Elon Musk invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to a voice conversation via the Clubhouse app, and Russia has not rejected this idea yet.

.@KremlinRussia_E would you like join me for a conversation on Clubhouse?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 13, 2021

 

What is the Clubhouse app?

It is a social media application; Just the opposite of them, it does not depend on writing texts or sharing photos and videos, it is a voice chatting app only, as it is based on voice, not text, which makes it look like an interactive podcast or a group voice call.

Briefly; Clubhouse allows you to create and join Room (s), where you can then chat with others on a large group voice call. There are no pictures, videos, or even texts - only audio - and users can join and leave the chat at any time, turning any room into a public meeting room.

Clubhouse application is currently available for iOS users only, as there is no version for Android users yet, it can be accessed so far by invitation only, and it allows members to join virtual rooms to have audio discussions on various topics.

When was the Clubhouse app launched and how many users is it now?

Clubhouse application was launched during the month of March 2020 by Paul Davison and Rohan Seth, and the number of its users reached only 1500 users during the month of May 2020, most of them were prominent investors in the application.

The Clubhouse app's market value in May 2020 was $ 100 million, after securing $ 12 million in financing from Andreessen Horowitz.

But during the month of January 2021, the app collected new funding - without revealing its financial value - in a round led by Andreasen Horowitz, after which the app's market value reached $ 1 billion, according to a report from The Information.

During a virtual session in the Clubhouse hosted by the app's founders; CEO Paul Davison revealed that the Clubhouse app now has two million active users per week. This is despite the fact that so far, subscription to the application is based on invitations only.

How do you join the app?

There are two ways to join the Clubhouse application, the first: to get an invitation from someone who has already joined the application, as each new user gets two invitations, and they earn more with their use of the application.

While the second method; It requires you to download the application and then register your name on the waiting list, but there is no guarantee that you will get an account in this way, especially during these days that it is very popular.

Once you get an invitation to join the application, you can download the application in the iPhone because it is the only device currently capable of running the Clubhouse, and Android devices have not launched a version of the application yet, but the company is now planning to expand as quickly as possible and open it to everyone soon.

After downloading the application in your phone, you can follow the following steps:

• Upon registration, the user goes through the common signup stages found in most apps to create their account.

• Once you create an account, you will be asked to give the app permission to access your contacts so that it can automatically find and follow your true friends in Clubhouse.

• When you reach the section (Define your interests), we advise you not to choose anything at the moment, as you can skip this step now, so that you do not find your home page in Clubhouse full of unwanted chat rooms that you do not care about. And you can always edit your interests later in settings.

• Once you have created the account; You can add friends, follow others, and subscribe to different chat rooms.

• You can enter chat rooms as a normal listener - if the room owners do not invite you to a discussion - and if you want to express your opinion on any topic, you can raise your hand by clicking on the hand icon, asking the room owners to speak.

Can you use Clubhouse on an iPad?

Sure, you can, but the app has not yet been optimized to run in iPadOS smoothly, so you'll use the app in a small window, or look at it at an odd size as it is enlarged twice.

How much data does Clubhouse want?

You must give the Clubhouse app your phone number, create a username, and you can register the user name you want for the service before you get an invitation. The person inviting you simply needs your phone number. You will get a text link like this (joinclubhouse.com/app) from which you can log in with your number that sent the invitation.

You can initially create an account in Clubhouse through your Twitter account, if you do not want to set one up, and the application will pull your account picture in Twitter, and the application also requires access to your contacts to facilitate finding people to follow you. Once logged in; You can check an email address so that you have a way to reconnect if there is a problem.

Can you access the conversations or discussions after they're over?

Conversations cannot be recorded or re-listen to discussions that have taken place, as everything ends once you exit the room, and nothing is recorded by the Clubhouse. But this does not mean that other members will not find ways to record chats. It did happen and there was a lot of discussion that took place in the Clubhouse app on YouTube.

How many people can join a conversation?

 The current limit is 5,000 people per room in the Clubhouse app, which Musk surpassed of course, as users in that room started streaming the chat live on YouTube, which is a clever solution to recording what was said.

What's next for the Clubhouse app?

The Clubhouse app has spread through conversations hosted by big names such as: Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, as the app is already a staple between media, entertainment and Silicon Valley personalities.

The company that owns the application now plans to expand further, launching a version of the Android system, and eventually the application will take its place among other major social networking applications, such as: Twitter and Facebook. But to do so; They will also have to solve some problems that the app is facing.

Some Clubhouse journalists - especially women - have spoken of being targets of bullying and harassment from others on the platform. Others have seen rooms urging anti-Semitism and racism and denying the existence of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

So the app launched its Community Coordination Guidelines last October, and the app makers made a common mistake that they thought users could be trusted. Davidson CEO has stated that “any social network needs to make moderation a top priority” however; He has also stressed that he wants the platform to focus on freedom of expression and dialogue.

There are plans to allow users to make money through the app from subscriptions, holding events, and receiving tips. And as more people are invited, participation is sure to increase.