Clubhouse: what it is and how it works

Clubhouse is an expanding social network that made its appearance in 2020. During the period of the pandemic, 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 entertainment world such as Fiorello, Calcutta, Marco Montemagno, who have already made their appearance on the new platform.
Although it has been talked about a lot, for many it may not be clear how it works, so in this article we will go into 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 pipeline and that it should arrive by the summer (although there is an unofficial version that we will talk about in the next paragraph).

Clubhouse shows itself as an ambitious project through which we would like to create a new social communication channel completely different from its predecessors: moves away from both Instagram photos, stories and filters, and the Facebook wall.
However, the actions the user can take are by no means limited. At the center of everything in the philosophy of the new social network are voice messages and privacy.

The Clubhouse structure is reminiscent of the 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 subscriber to the platform can get to the heart of the discussion by participating in the debate or simply by listening.

There are three types of users inside each room, namely the moderator, the listener and the speaker.

The moderator manages the conversation, granting or removing the right to speak to users. The listener has only the right to pay attention and listen to the conversation while it speaker also has the power to intervene in the discussion.

Regarding privacy, the developers have made a special effort to make the service secure. Once the room you entered is closed, its contents are deleted unless there have been any infractions related to the rules. In that case, an investigation will be initiated on behalf of the management team, which, if positive, will lead to a warning, expulsion or reporting to law enforcement of the accused person.

How is Clubhouse installed?

Clubhouse per iOS (iPhone o iPad)

The application is easily downloadable from the App Store of your iOS device (iPhone or iPad), but this will not be enough to allow you access.
You must fill in the form in which you certify your identity and that you are eighteen years old. Finally, to enter you need to have an invitation, which we will discuss in detail in the next paragraph.

Clubhouse per Android

On Android, for the more savvy users, there is a unofficial port which is called house club, is open source and is maintained by developer Grishka. Find the updated apk file on the project’s GitHub page, to proceed with the download just 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 provides that you can only log in after a Invitation.

Clubhouse invitations can only be obtained through users who have themselves been invited within the platform.
Each user logged in will have two invitations available; following the stay and the activity carried out within the 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 enter the social network to your entire address book so you can receive an answer from your friend, a Clubhouse user, who can invite you .

This mechanic, which may appear unnecessarily complex, the developers explain, was fine-tuned because the system is still in beta. This also explains the low number of users on the social network, which currently has about 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 created is different and very interesting.

The future of Clubhouse: monetization

What we know for sure today is that the future of Clubhouse seems to be constantly growing. 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 goes through new figures, similar to those already known through Youtube or Twitch, that is the animators, or creators. These will have the role of being able to create engagement, therefore building an increasingly large audience of people who will follow the issues they have explored. Until March 31, applications are open for 20 creators.
The issues that can be addressed are the most diverse, from fitness to culture, from comedy to business.
The preferred selection criterion is certainly the activity carried out by the creator in other social networks such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitch and Youtube.