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  default: () => _2021_02_20_clubhouse_after_48_hours,
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var import_index_10ac95e2 = require("./index-10ac95e2.js");
const metadata = {
  "title": "Opinions from 48hr on Clubhouse",
  "author": "Thomas Wilson",
  "date": "2021-02-20T00:00:00.000Z",
  "draft": false,
  "slug": "2020-02-20-opinions-from-48hr-on-clubhouse",
  "tags": ["clubhouse", "social-media"]
};
const _2021_02_20_clubhouse_after_48_hours = (0, import_index_10ac95e2.c)(($$result, $$props, $$bindings, slots) => {
  return `<p>Clubhouse is a new audio social network platform for iOS. It\u2019s basically like having a moderated voice-only Zoom call. The entire network is largely three entities:</p>
<ol><li><strong>Users</strong>: Human beings who use the app. Clubhouse have taken a pretty hard line on non-human (e.g. business) accounts.</li>
<li><strong>Rooms</strong>: Pre-scheduled or impromptu virtual rooms that users can go in. Rooms are where the conversation happens. Only users on the stage can speak to the room. One or many people can be speaking in a room at any one time. Rooms are moderated by a user, who can add or remove users from the stage. Their role is to keep the conversation on track and civil. Everyone else in the room can hear the person/people speaking on the stage. If you\u2019re not on the stage, you can\u2019t be heard.</li>
<li><strong>Clubs</strong>: Are groups of users. They\u2019re like Facebook groups or group DMs.</li></ol>
<p>For the past couple of days I\u2019ve been dipping into some clubhouse rooms. I\u2019ve heard discussions on sustainability between small UK businesses, startup advice for new founders, large investors talking about the ecosystem, hiring fairs, language learning, news discussion, and random chats.</p>
<p>The audio-only format is interesting and unique. It\u2019s part podcast, part zoom call, part audio-only Twitter thread. I have really enjoyed the relaxed, low-effort format of this. It feels alive and human, but maybe that\u2019s my socially-deprived Covid brain talking. I\u2019ve been very impressed by people\u2019s civility (it is indeed still early days and invite only), and I\u2019ve seen moderators do a good job of keeping people on topic, and stopping spam. I do worry that there\u2019s potential for spam and un-civility.</p>
<p>I don\u2019t know where this new audio-only format, or Clubhouse specifically is headed. It may very well be a flash in the pan.</p>
<p>I have been <em>so</em> impressed by people\u2019s generosity. People have offered sincere and useful advice to startup founders, posed interesting questions, and disagreed with (at least some) civility and generosity.</p>
<p>I wonder how much of this is because the format is new and the audience is self-selecting. I think there <em>is</em> something about the medium:</p>
<ol><li><strong>It\u2019s engaging</strong>: Humans are social creatures. We\u2019re wired to like the sound of conversations and storytelling. It\u2019s how we learn and remember a lot of information. Having the voice of the person making the statement, and not a plaintext tweet (and maybe gif or emoji) does draw attention, and is just easier to interpret.</li>
<li><strong>It\u2019s low activation energy</strong>: Having a conversation is the natural and easy thing in the world, so I think people are willing to give more, and more detailed, information. You can\u2019t stop to double-check and research (and you\u2019re not expected to), and you\u2019re not backspacing over your replies to make</li>
<li><strong>It\u2019s synchronous</strong>: Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok will always bet here with content to present you when you\u2019re back. If you miss something on Clubhouse it\u2019s gone. When life returns to not-lockdown, this might be incredibly impractical. For the now, a world without meet-ups and informal gatherings, it does a surprisingly good job of re-creating these feelings.</li>
<li><strong>It can be on in the background</strong>: If I\u2019m working on something monotonous which requires my attention sometimes but not always (re-plotting plants, inbox clearing, unclogging my shower drain) Clubhouse has been great to have on the background. My previous go-to here would be Podcasts, but I\u2019ve become increasingly selective about what I\u2019m listening to and why. There isn\u2019t that pressure with Clubhouse.</li></ol>
<p>I\u2019m interested to see where this goes. It does have the feel of a side hustle. It\u2019s not low maintenance like Tik Tok or Instagram - they\u2019ll put videos in front of you and just ask you to swipe up and down. Will it become like LinkedIn, or will it become something a bit freer? Is it the right time for audio social media, is it even a good idea? Vine failed in the 2010\u2019s but TikTok is bloody huge now.</p>
<p>With everything, it comes down the quality of the content. That requires there to be excellent club and room moderation tools. If the team want growth, they\u2019ll need to work on discoverability: finding people, clubs, and rooms with certain areas needs to be easier.</p>
<p>I\u2019ve been doing this for two days, so I\u2019m sort of an expert.</p>`;
});