Thoughts on Clubhouse

Thoughts on Clubhouse

Feb 15, 2021

A bit of an opposite take on what I wrote a week ago…

What makes it work?

Lower friction. I allows people to just join a conversation and just talk. Text is harder - as you have to know how to write well. Video is harder - as you have to look good and have the equitment… listening (and maybe talking) is lower friction.

But is it enough?

Being audio only platform means other interactions will happen somewhere else - there are already whatsapp\fb groups for popular Clubhouse rooms\communities. So what would make people stay at Clubhouse once Facebook adds this feature?

Feb 8, 2021

The biggest issue is the format - joining in on a conversation requires time commitment. Podcasts - they’re pre-recorded and I can listen in on my spare time. Also, content is already edited to give me maximum value for my time. Twitter\Facebook - I can pop in and out whenever I find time and read\interact asynchroneously.

With Clubhouse you just have to be there, at the specified time and if you also want to talk\interact you need a quiete environment and a mic. As a parent with a litttle child who is also trying to build a business, I struggle to make the time for such commitment.

I get that most people use it as a platform to be heard and get attention - start rooms, moderate talks and overall be visible. I guess thats why VCs are flocking to it - its their job to be visible.

I think the main challenges for for clubhouse will be just that - fighting over people’s time and mindshare.

• Especially post-pandemic?
• What happens when they open the floodgates (no longer invite-only) and have to deal with spam and overall onformation overload?