Social radio on Clubhouse brings back connection and depth
Whenever a new online platform emerges at a rapid pace and enters into the attention battlefield with the established online order, this causes ‘a tremor in the Force’, so to speak. Other apps try to get a grip on the situation and quickly estimate their position in the force field. And professionals and organizations try to get a grip on whether a platform has a hold over them or vice versa. And if that is the case, how one can regain control. This is no different with the social audio platform Clubhouse.
Clubhouse is the new place to be online. I haven't been on it that long, since mid-January 2021. I got an invite from buddy Raymond Janssen, and learned more about it from buddy Else Kramer. Clubhouse has been around since last year, and it's a completely different platform than we experienced with Twitter, Facebook and the like. Many still have to get used to this, and sometimes it is still used in 'the old-fashioned way': me-marketing and sales. But it is so much more: it’s about more intense, in-depth conversations. My suggestion: let’s all embrace that.
Clubhouse in short:
social audio platform, audio only.
iOS app (here in the App Store), Android in development.
the platform is growing rapidly. ’Basically, everyone is on Clubhouse now’.
currently invite-only.
a social radio experience (a bit like 80’s evening radio shows).
people speak and/or have conversations in 'rooms', and after three sessions a user can set up a 'club' with sessions around a central topic.
when you speak, you are ‘on stage’, and you can invite others to do this as well (be careful with this, because other people's misconduct can mean a ban from the platform for you).
You’re not allowed to record conversations on Clubhouse for use in other media (this may cause your account to be banned).
the emphasis is on deeper conversations instead of marketing, pitching and quick responses (although I'm not naïve and we see the first mass of "Market Your Business On Clubhouse" courses popping up.
it's okay to leave a conversation without saying goodbye, you don't have to report that (‘leave quietly’). so that you won’t disturb an ongoing conversation.
the app has a somewhat different interface, for example there are no likes, reposts or (text) chats. It takes some getting used to.
there are some privacy issues, and they need to be resolved (if we can, and if not, it says something about us as users if we stay on the app).
Organizations are often focused on 'protecting what’s theirs' (whatever that means) and forget to adapt to what the force field wants and how it moves. In itself, this is a very normal response to disruption; we’re being confronted with yet another shift in the online communication and media landscape. Do we have to do something with this new app? Is it more of the same, but slightly different, or is it that game changer that you really don’t want to miss out on?
Perhaps this sounds a bit cryptic, that ‘protecting what is theirs’. I'm not condemning it either, because I guess it’s a relatable reaction for many. One of the concrete examples of the moment: journalists on Clubhouse discuss their position with regard to social audio platform Clubhouse, and how they can or should use it, and how they can make Clubhouse work for them: 'Clubhouse could eradicate podcasts like Twitter did with blogs' (although I disagree regarding Twitter and blogs; blogs are still keys to strategic content, because they create your own content home base and expertise archive, with traffic and everything that comes with it). And: 'Clubhouse is breaking through in the Netherlands. (...) What is the strategy? How are we going to use Clubhouse? And what are the drawbacks? Privacy? China?' Good questions, and it’s a good thing that these are being addressed. Because indeed, privacy IS an issue at Clubhouse. As this is the case on many platforms (Facebook owns you, so to speak). And this is rightly discussed and researched: “Clubhouse cannot provide any privacy promises for conversations held anywhere around the world” - @ alexstamos of @stanfordio, in response to a Clubhouse user streaming audio feeds from various Clubhouse rooms to an external website. So yes, privacy matters. A lot.
But let's switch back to dealing with determining one’s position in a continuously changing media landscape. So one strategy is to stick to what you think is 'yours' and grit it out. Use it like you use other apps. Projecting the same worn out marketing tricks onto something new. But I very much doubt that this is the smartest choice. To be honest, I think it's quite the opposite. Because others will continue to use the platform, and eventually come up with (and further develop) ways to leverage it in creative ways. On that same note; 'we' are all part of the changing online communication landscape. So of course you have an influence on its development and use; It is not without reason that the retweet, the reply and the hashtag were invented by Twitter users themselves, and the platform later decided to technically facilitate it in the software. This is how it went with Twitter, with blogs, with Meerkat / Periscope / Twitter Live, Instagram, and with Stories (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). And of course it’s also the case with Clubhouse, and other audio platforms that emerged since last year. So yes, you do have some influence. But no, it is a mission impossible to force the user preferences of others to your strategic market position in the online force field.
It’s up to you (and to everyone) to investigate how you want to deal with it as a person, organization and industry. And the only way to figure this out without jumping to conclusions prematurely is to try it out. And adjust strategy along the way, with advancing insight.
Experiment from a source of fun and entertainment, not just ego or marketing. And if you are a tad handy and have any level of joie de vivre: have fun with it. Fun always wins. Creativity always wins. Take yourself a little less seriously, and see if it is something for you, as you go along. And everyone (really everyone) needs a little more relaxed fun in these weird times, right?
ZOOM FATIGUE
One of the reasons for the success of audio platforms (we’re waiting for the roll-out on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, as has happened with stories / fleets) is very understandable and recognizable to many. I suspect that this has to do with (and is a consequence of) the phase in which we are in the evolution of online communications. The corona situation forced us en masse to converse from home via video. We were being forced to sit in front of a camera, often for hours on end, meeting after meeting. People did and do want to participate, even if it’s just because the boss wants it and expects this from you. But not all day long. Nobody wants to be watched all day long. It’s just not natural.
We are tired of sitting in front of a camera all day and staring at a mosaic of colleagues. And this is very understandable. Because fair is fair: do you always see everyone in your Zoom meetings peering mindfully into the camera during meetings? People scroll on their phones, stare at a document on another screen, nod occasionally, and say something when they need to. But the energy leaks out. Energy that you could have used to work effectively and productively. And you do not get that time back, ever. Anyway, I digress, so back to Clubhouse.
DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION VIBE ON CLUBHOUSE
On Clubhouse there is a different communication atmosphere than we are used to on Twitter (fleeting and current), Facebook (you know), LinkedIn (business with career moves, job opportunities, some good discussions here and there and some gossip in between) and Instagram (visuals, show & tell, sales, me-marketing). Clubhouse is different, content-wise; conversations go deeper quickly, and many conversations are actually planned for in-depth insights and exchange of valuable insights and mutual encouragement. Conversations are often pre-planned, and address specific topics without the distraction of what someone looks like on camera.
What I noticed in the past month:
people teach and learn to speak languages better and exchange details about their cultures
people teach each other how Clubhouse works
people discuss deeper topics such as resilience and empathy (my core themes now) in life and work
people are being empowering towards each other, giving each other enough space to speak and listen
the best experiments are playful, like reading all the Harry Potter books in a room, and having conversations about Lego.
So yes, audio. It is less invasive, you feel less watched or judged, and people need this. It's a kind of slow radio. Whatever people need: more depth, in this time of remote work and being at home all the time. If you long for in-depth, valuable conversations, learning experiences that go beyond an online training or webinar, then you might want to explore Clubhouse.
And social audio appears to be a suitable tool for this; you meet people based on interest, not based on who your followers follow, or based on who you were already following elsewhere. For me, Clubhouse is fundamentally different from Twitter or Instagram, and also different from video platforms. And I am very content with that.
How will Clubhouse develop? I do not know. However, this is a no-brainer: Twitter is going full Meerkat/Periscope regarding Clubhouse. Is that bad? We know that the big socials are always about the power of attention, and therefore want to obtain and dominate market share. We already knew in 2007 that when something is free, we are the product. We can’t change this. But we can ensure that a platform becomes what we want to see in the world. And the only way to achieve this is to contribute something of value, and talk to people about the topics that affect you both.
Because that is what makes social beautiful.
My Clubhouse schedule
I still enjoy it (@jojanneke on Clubhouse), and I mainly listen to conversations that fascinate me, and occasionally organize conversations and reading sessions myself:
Tuesday February 23 (10PM CET): Reading from Jane Austen
Wednesday February 24 (10PM CET): Creative Resilience pt. 1
Sunday February 28 (10PM CET): Radical Empathy pt. 2
Tuesday, March 2 (10PM CET): Reading from Jane Austen
Wednesday 3 March (10PM CET): Creative Resilience pt. 2
Sunday March 7 (10PM CET): Radical Empathy pt. 3
