So you may not need another social platform in your life, or just started dabbling w/ Clubhouse, but it’s inportant to understand how it’s shaping up and what its potential experiences could translate to.

After a few weeks experimenting, here’s what I’ve learned:

1) Some describe it as live podcasting. I find it’s much more like going to a massive house party (yes that’s how I roll). Each room is full of different conversations and you’ve got the chance to casually drop in an be voyeuristic or join in on a random chat with strangers.

2) Just like any party - you will come across a LOT of weirdos, but also you’ll stumble onto some fascinating people. You might even have a few fleeting/deep chats with people you’ll never cross paths with again. The quality of the party depends on which rooms you stumble into.

3) In real life, if you REALLY like going to parties to talk about advertising, then go follow those ppl in Clubhouse (but you’ll be disappointed and f@&£ that’s a boring party). Go meet people you’ll never meet in your normal circles instead. It’s more fun, and more useful...

4) If you want to explore a different career, this is a chance to get incredible insight into the worlds of publishing, gaming, filmmaking, doing business in China, & 100s of fields. Go mingle with folks from high up positions and ask anything or just listen.

5) As a planner, this is an awesome tool for RESEARCH. It’s by no means representative, but exploratory. Want to find out the gripes of small business owners? Join or start a room talking about that. Instant focus group. Free.

6) It can be used to find great leads. I’ve been working on a project on financial inclusion and met an investigative financial journalist who’s an expert on the subject. She also put me in touch with great research and other experts in a world I barely knew existed. Gold.

7) It could add an interesting element to sport/live events. I’ve seen countless ‘watch-alongs’ and great running commentary on political events unfolding.

8) If you’ve already got a following elsewhere, this adds a different dimension to your community. A book ‘influencer’ can share book reviews on IG, but actually have a chat about it with followers on CH. I’d love to see what someone like Mark Pollard would do with this for eg.

9) Yes, It breaks barriers down for the world of podcasting. Host a talk without the polish of production and pain of editing. But it can break down barriers between cultures if you choose, too. Listen to someone else’s lived experiences or learn about a totally different topic.

10) If your hallway is full of people with insufferable bios of self-proclaimed geniuses or rooms about Bitcoin millionaires, then you’re following the wrong people. Keep searching and you’ll find some gems.

And for the record, this isn’t a big push for people to join. This is just a bit of the experiences I’ve had, and would love to hear more about how others have been using it or different ways to apply it as well. Hope it’s helpful, even if you never plan on joining.