Answered 5 questions about the popular social network

In addition to Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, a new social network is emerging. This is Clubhouse: a social network where audio comes first. You can read all about it here.

Clubhouse FAQ: New Social Network Explained

While some people are only just getting used to TikTok, Clubhouse is fast becoming the next hype in social media land. The app is also gaining popularity in the Netherlands. So it is high time to answer the most important questions.

1. What is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is a new social network that is all about audio. So you cannot turn on your camera; only access to your microphone is required. The app is currently only available for iOS. According to a market research by Sensor Tower the app has now been installed 14,000 times in the Netherlands, worldwide this counter stands at 4.1 million.

That will only increase in the coming period, now that Elon Musk has already arrived in the app. This immediately resulted in an increase in popularity. You can count on Clubhouse to rise quickly in the App Store rankings as more famous names make themselves known in the app in this way.

2. How does Clubhouse work?

When you first start up Clubhouse, the app asks about your contacts and interests. Based on this, the app proposes ‘rooms’ (or Rooms) to you. By participating in a room, you can listen in or participate in conversations about all kinds of topics. There are rooms for musicians, but also well-known actors who create rooms to start a conversation with fans.

You can also create a Room yourself: you can open it up to everyone, only the people you follow or only people you manually invite. For example, you can create a group for your friends to chat. Another way to use Clubhouse is to just join rooms and listen in. As a kind of live podcast.

3. What can I listen to or talk about?

Clubhouse has an extensive ‘Explore function’ that shows you what you can do in the app. By tapping ‘Find more people to follow’ on the home screen, you can see which contacts are already using the app. You can follow it, so that you can start a conversation with it.

Below that is the ‘Find converters about’ overview. There you see rooms per subject where people are currently talking. The topics vary enormously. From people talking about parenthood to discussions about cycling, games and religion. If you decide to follow a channel, you will be notified as soon as a conversation starts. Then you can participate at the touch of a button.

4. What about moderation?

At the end of January, Clubhouse creators shared a comprehensive statement on moderation. The app aims to be a platform for a diverse sound, from BLM discussions to complete game shows held in the app. If users encounter inappropriate language or hateful topics, you can report this in the app.

Moreover, Clubhouse is still quite small in its current form. The big question is how this issue will develop if everyone can get started with the app without an invitation.

5. Download Clubhouse and the invite-only system

You can download the Clubhouse app for free from the App Store. Check the link at the bottom of this article. There is very little you can do with it: for now you need an invitation to use Clubhouse.

You can only get this ‘Clubhouse Invite’ from someone who is already using the app. As soon as you have an invitation, you will also receive an invitation to give to someone else. For example, the number of users who have access to the app is slowly but surely increasing.