ClubhouseTea #009: The Clubhouse to NFT Pipeline
NFT actually stands for "Not F*cking Talking (Bout This Please)".
Welcome to ClubhouseTea ~ where the tea is steaming and the vibes are intriguing 🍵
Cultural snapshot - Sponsored by the letters N, F, and T.
Clubhouse Town Hall notes will be included in this issue
Clubhouse is officially banned in the UAE 🇦🇪
Are You Team Twitter Spaces or Team Clubhouse?
“It is often said of the gold rush that the people who got rich were the shovel dealers who profited from the greed of the forty-niners. With Beanie Babies, most of the lasting personal fortunes came from selling books and tag protectors, not from speculating in plush.”
- Zac Bissonnette, The Great Beanie Baby Bubble: Mass Delusion and the Dark Side of Cute
It feels like everywhere we have been on social media these days, you can’t go through an entire day without hearing about the concept of non-fungible tokens1 (NFTs), whispers of a new NFT drop or a headline news story about how a certain crypto artist netted over tens of thousands of dollars from an anonymous buyer. And frankly, that’s just on the low end with how the crypto NFT space has been co-opted as a playground for the rich.
Crypto NFT artists and creators like Beeple, 3LAU, Steve Aoki, and Grimes have been involved in multi-million dollar sales on their NFT collections and some of those artists like 3LAU and Fewocious have even been taking their victories and celebratory livestream parties for their crypto NFT drops onto Clubhouse. Because of the nature of the synchronous audio format being so ephemeral, Clubhouse is able to host conversations on topics that are usually taboo to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It also helps that a social audio platform like Clubhouse is instrumental to lowering the barrier of access for those wanting to get into crypto; it’s just as easy as seeing a conversation you like and then asking a question when you are able to.
We have seen conversations about the sex worker community (SWs, for short), the cannabis industry, crypto NFTs, drug usage, decentralized finance, and discussion of cryptocurrency that are usually shadowbanned from the main periphery but have gained spotlight with Clubhouse. The laissez-faire moderation on conversation and the prerogative for these conversations to be self-moderated by the community first, rather than the platform, has allowed for these conversations to be amplified.
It is impressive to see education and honest dialogue about initial taboo topics be rejuvenated and it is with this adoption that crypto NFTs have exploded as a conversational topic purely due to the polarizing opinions about it. Users have entertained the nuance of conversation about crypto NFTs whether it is about the future of NFTs, the environmental impact of NFTs, or the outright skepticism that discerns the problematic role of capitalists in a space that holds itself to principles of decentralization and the subsiding of intermediaries.
Due to the pandemic, people are looking for opportunities that do present an appearance of optimism. If we reflect on the past year, there hasn’t been a lot of positive externalities upon our society and over time, that has shifted into boredom that is noticeable. People are wanting to participate in the market as yields on U.S. Treasury bonds have been at historic lows for years, making stocks and other asset classes more attractive to investors. People are YOLO’ing on day-trading stocks like Gamestop and some are placing their faith in speculative assets overall including Bitcoin. NFTs are just the byproduct affected by market euphoria.
Can we blame them if a platform like Clubhouse turns them into crypto NFT enthusiasts?
Cultural Snapshot - Week Nine (Primary Happenings)
The Audio Creator: In Store And In Galore
NYTimes tech reporter Taylor Lorenz recently wrote an article profiling the influence of a new type of creator: the audio creators. In the piece, she discusses the rise of social audio influencers on platforms like Clubhouse, specifically profiling the Audio Collective club. The forty-person group includes a diverse set of influencers that count among their ranks including filmmaker hyla, musician Bomani X, SignalFire VC Josh Constine, and former business executive Kat Cole. Here are our takeaways:
Clubhouse is a new platform for influencer marketing: With new stars comes new opportunities. There is a new space for brands to collaborate with the top audio creators to build their business.
The Creator Economy is Booming (duh): Clubhouse is proof that creatives have power and influence. Voice is a new tool to engage audiences, and more individuals will be able to capitalize on it via the synchronous audio platform. In essence: Clubhouse creators are audible.
There is room for Clubhouse to grow: From issues around moderation to suggested followers, the audio collective is highlighting the issues inherent with the platform. They are the most valuable users on the app — bringing in attention and users. Perhaps, Clubhouse will finally listen.
The article was well-received on Twitter as well as within the Clubhouse community.
You Started A Club? Great, Now What?
Clubhouse users were extremely excited to hear that they can finally make clubs within the app. Individuals no longer need to email Clubhouse and wait days, if not weeks or even months, for a reply. As of now, only those have been active on the app have access to the feature (new users need to wait a tad bit longer).
With great fun comes…great consequences. Original clubs have commented on how their search engine optimization (SEO) has changed in the app. For example, drama ensued not too long after the in-app club creation feature went live as a club titled “China” was coined into the database. The inception of this club disrupted much of the presence and developing audiences that certain Chinese clubs like Tianxia: All Under Heaven and US-China Relations and Mandarin Learners Club.
A room called “Who is running the China club? Seems like a squatter” had arisen as members of the Chinese Clubhouse community came together to comment not only on the phenomena of club domain squatting but also the initially private “China” club. Clubhouse user Roger Huang had commented on the newly minted club as a possible delinquent and a possible violator of Clubhouse’s Community Guidelines, having created the club as an actual country. Similar notions of caution were thrown into the conversation as Clubhouse user Jason Wang had mentioned that he had created a “Space” Club and a “Club” club; he had also mentioned that there was an open season period for club domains and that some people might be squatting on monikers belonging to other countries, cities, or even governmental entities (i.e. the CIA, White House, POTUS).
From the conversation, the conversation somewhat escalated as it was outed that the founder of China-focused digital creative agency Qumin, Arnold Ma had started the China club. Having carved out his reputation on the app through the China Speed club, a cross-border relations club focused on China, Arnold had justified that he had first claims to this newly created club. The squabble would then revolve around several speakers on the stage, gauging about how “Chinese” they were and what contributions that they had lent unto the Chinese Clubhouse community. Overall, the fiercely-heated squabble was extinguished as it was ultimately debated that there was nothing that could be done except in cases where Clubhouse felt the need to roll back the in-app clubs that had egregiously challenged the community guidelines.
In addition, clubs are no longer being vetted by ClubhouseHQ, which means there is a decrease in the quality of new clubs being onboarded onto the platform. The in-app club creation feature has been already speculated as an option of abuse in waiting and in response to concerns about clubs being arbitrarily used against the community guidelines, the CH staff had mentioned that there are strict checkpoints to combat
However, it is super cool to see organizations that felt disconnected or out of place on the app finally become included. The Jewish community, in response to in-app club creation being made public, created a host of clubs that may lead to Clubhouse becoming more mainstream. For example, StandWithUs, a prominent Zionist organization with a large youth audience, created a club. It is to stand that other youth organizations like sororities and fraternities are creating clubs as well for their alumni networks. Even existing collegiate organizations are hopping on the app, too!
Overall, in-app club creation will help Clubhouse become more mainstream, ultimately helping it reach new audiences and grow in popularity!
The Whale Moan Room Drama
It’s been almost an entire year that Clubhouse has been in the center of conversation and users have definitely claimed a sense of belonging for certain cultural programming native to the platform. ASMR has certainly been a cultural highlight on the social audio platform, playing to the strengths of a purely synchronous media format.
On Friday, thousands of Clubhouse users tuned into a Whale Moan Room hosted by Clubhouse users Georgia Sinclair and Wolf x Lion to hear people moan like whales for hours but a different scenario took place as somebody touted that they were the creator of the original Whale Moan Room and then lodged complaints against those that would brand their whale moan room as the “official whale moan room”. Thirty Asians on stage had claimed that Wolf x Lion had stolen their whale moan room concept and although it was an sincere insinuation from the Asians who had came into the room, deeper motifs that touched on racial justice and gaslighting followed in regards to the concept of the “moan room”.
Some users felt uncomfortable by how serious the vibe of an ASMR room about whales had become, thus unleashing a string of response rooms less serious in nature whether it was “Can You Sound Like a Cat In Heat” and “Ghost Noises” where people boo’d like ghosts. Another room titled “Elephant Moan Room” moaned with elephant noises but also entertained political conversation.
In the end, a confrontation about animal noises is somehow not the weirdest thing that has happened on Clubhouse but echoes of concern about gaslighting hinged throughout the conversation. One user had responded in a offshoot room of the “Whale Moan Room” mentioning that “[they] knew about the whale moaning room” and that “when they confronted them, [they] gaslit [them].”
Cultural Snapshot - Week Nine (Ancillary Happenings)
Oscar-winning director Bryan Fogel came onto Clubhouse to discuss the latest work with The Dissident, a documentary about the murder of Jamal Kashoggi. He was interviewed by George LaMeur of the Red Line Club.
Elisabeth Buchwald at MarketWatch writes about the phenomena of getting hired through Clubhouse and though this revelation isn’t a new marvel, it is still a valid assumption that Clubhouse is a “hotbed for professional networking” and creators on the platform finding opportunity that does surpass the traditional onboarding process beyond the cover letter
Accessibility is becoming a bigger conversation in Clubhouse as users try to be conscientious of certain communities that may have a harder time using the platform like the deaf and blind communities. In any case, the 15% club on Clubhouse facilitated its own welcome session for new users equipped with a walkthrough and a screen reader and had over 15k+ users tune in for the occasion.
Missed the Clubhouse Town Hall Sunday morning?
Here’s an outline:
It’s the first town hall of March and Clubhouse shifts its focus to scaling the product and app for communities overseas. Stephanie Saffa Simon discussed the accessibility aspect of people in the Clubhouse community normalizing Clubhouse behaviors that help people of the blind and deaf communities access the product. Cultural translation was also a primary focus to see cultural exchange happen internationally.
Paul Davison discussed the upcoming release coming in the next few days and then took questions from Clubhouse users. Let’s dive into the overview:
𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 Update
In-app club creation now available directly on the app; the use case for clubs are currently of the following:
Public use
Community use (i.e. around a niche like fashion, marketing, games, etc.)
Private use (i.e. company, a group of friends)
Clubs can be started by going to your profile > scrolling to the bottom of your profile > a visible “+” sign should be available around the right-hand side of the bottom club display > schedule your event > start your club
If you have followers or hosted some rooms, the club creation feature should be available to you
Currently, people will only be able to create two (2) clubs per month
Higher quality audio
Three dots are visible on the top right corner: high, medium, or low; it will affect how people can hear you and the option to switch between quality audio will be shifted to low quality audio due to a connection issue
The fidelity of audio will be prompted as automatic in the future
Crossborder invites are more optimized
Invites already issued (pending invites) can be resent
Accessibility improvements, voice over
Easier troll reporting
Took away the “all events” option from the calendar
Working on be able to localize following based on where you live and which languages you want to access for user experience
Improved community guidelines and policy for international2 users (outside of the USA)
Community guidelines specified further on prohibited activity, how friend connections work, data sharing, suspensions, etc.
Stressed that they do not share data with a third party
The next release is coming in a few days. What to expect:
Work for tooling on Trust and Safety, to improve quality
Improving speed of product
Links available for profiles and clubs
Improve quality of language filtering (making it automated - languages)
Improvement of follow suggestions, room suggestions, and fine-tuning of notification algorithm
𝐐&𝐀
𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Q: What is the criterion for the new clubs feature?
A: The current limit is 2 clubs per month for one person.
Q: 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 that are created on the app 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭?
A: They expect that creativity on clubs will accelerate. The native launch of the in-app club creation will impact on usage and frequency similar to Facebook having a like button.
If you have an idea you can jump in and create a club. People will do it a lot more often and the process will accelerate
Q: 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞?
A: It can be similar. Currently, there is no uniqueness limitation. They rank clubs based on search optimization. Prominence in ranking on search has to be earned.
It was also pointed out that confusing club names can be an issue.
Personalizing a club is not ok. They prefer that users push for simple, more general club names. Special characters are discouraged and real identity policy for users will be enforced for club members as well.
Q: How do you prevent a brand name used by someone else?
A: They don't have a blue checkmark program, but you can get identity verification with Instagram and Twitter to verify that the brand club is being created by a representative of that company. Brands cannot be impersonated and requests to remove illegitimate clubs will be honored.
Q: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 in the topic directory?
A: Club ranking is fundamentally basic at the moment, but it is getting better and more personalized. There are a lot of factors that influence the club rankings in the topic directory including of the following: name, followers/following, how active it is, how many rooms have been hosted, retention rate, followers, influence ranking of the club, recurring event programming
They plan to have a history archive of events that a given club has hosted in the past.
Feature section
Q: You can't scroll back past a certain extent in your notifications. How does history work in notifications?
A: History in notifications only go so far, due to the extent of data capacity.
Plan: pursue memory capture and privacy considerations.
Four sections of utility 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 intend to scale:
- welcoming more people onto the app (growth)
- performance, scaling (optimization)
- discovery
- in-room experience (moderator tools)
𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭:
People are creating mirror rooms3 localize the Clubhouse Town Hall experience. Clubhouse is hoping to scale the user community with translators and pushing to localize the Townhall experience and work with translators who are willing to pursue that on a community level.
The new user experience is currently in English only, for now.
Moderation
Q: What are the 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 pitfalls for moderators?
- lack of promotion
- too many people on stage (more people on stage is generally good, but too many cooks in the kitchen is a problem that quickly shifts the tone of the room left)
- making too many people participants on stage
- making everybody a moderator (moderators are able to end a room, kick the original moderators out of a room, etc.)
Creator Grant Program
Q: Who is eligible for the Clubhouse Creator Grant program?
A: More details will be revealed starting next week.
𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
Q: Can I accept payment for a moderated room?
A: They want to support it, seeing monetization as a creator-first solution to achieve for the Clubhouse community. They are hoping that brands will hire and pay for moderators to develop an experience in the social audio space. They are working to facilitate and optimize solutions, so that anybody can be a Clubhouse creator by hosting conversations.
Q: When will Clubhouse have an 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 (𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜) 𝐀𝐏𝐈 access for 3rd party apps?
A: They like all the third party apps that are being created, but they still see a perceived risk in opening up API access for the time being.
Verifiable 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲
Q: Some Clubhouse users pretend to be celebrities. How can people verify identities?
A: You can link your Instagram and Twitter to verify your personal identity. People are able to report false profiles by clicking on the “…” in the top right hand corner; reports that are flagged for violation on grounds of impersonation subject the perpetrator for removal.
Q: What do you think about "Millionaire advice, secrets" rooms?
A: They are keeping a close eye on those rooms, but rely on user feedback and the verdict of the community guidelines to distinguish real financial planning from rooms that intend to scam.
Q: Why can I see "Report for trolling" on some profiles?
A: This option is promptly active for people primarily on the speaker stage and is used to report and remove someone who commits to disruption of that conversation by trolling.
That should be all. Tune in every Sunday for more coverage!
I’m on this bird app, Twitter, so tweet at me: @choi_clint. You can also find me on clubhouse: @clint. Lauren Huttner, our ClubhouseTea co-head, can be found on Twitter @Lauren_Huttner ~
Please share this with your friends. The hot goss is worth sharing with friends, so let them know that yes, Clubhouse is our beat.
NOTE: We are looking for outside editorial for guest columns. We are happy to take any pitches at thisisclintchoi@gmail.com. If there’s anything you think should be covered as a Clubhouse trendy/cultural topic for a given week, feel free to let us know!
NFTs are a type of cryptographic token that are used to create digital scarcity in respect to digital media, digital goods, or even digital collectibles. NFTs use blockchain technology to authenticate and designate an official copy of an asset in that given moment.
International, in this context, will refer to all Clubhouse users outside of the USA.
Mirror rooms are response rooms created to duplicate and localize similar experience to that of the original room.