Signal Spring 2022 Newsletter

12 www.alliancecom.net New to the Scene Clubhouse launched in March 2020, just in time to help people muddle through the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders that, for many, led to isolation and loneliness. It started as a small, invitation-only community but quickly grew. When the app had about 1,500 users, the developer attracted the notice of venture capitalists, who invested $12 million into the project. Since then, participation has grown to about 2 million users, and the company received a new round of capital in early 2021. Invitations are no longer required; anyone can join. How ClubhouseWorks To use Clubhouse, you must download the app, which you can get from the Apple App Store or from Google Play. There is no website interface. When you sign up, you’ll see categories of topics to choose from and follow. Conversations take place in rooms. Until recently, rooms were created and ended with each conversation. Now Clubhouse includes a feature called Replay, which allows room creators to record those con- versations and save them to their profile. The app also includes a Clips feature, which allows anyone in a room to create and share with others a 30-second clip of the conversation happening there. Each room is limited to 5,000 participants, and 700,000 rooms are created each day. Conversations can range from two friends chatting casually to big group discussions or music-sharing events. If someone famous or influential joins a room, the creator can put them on “stage” as a speaker. Anyone listening in on the conversation can “raise a hand” and ask to speak. The creator decides whether or not to let them. Clubhouse is the Audio-Chat Social Network Listen to fascinating conversations about your favorite topics Clubhouse is an audio-only social media app—no need to worry what you look like— that brings people together to talk about shared interests. It’s a lot like listening to podcasts, except that you can join in on the discussions.