Time to Head to the Clubhouse? A New Opportunity and Challenge for eDiscovery Professionals

Editor’s Note: If you are an observer of social media communications platforms and trends, you are probably seeing an increase in the pulse rate of references to the social media platform named Clubhouse. Launched in early 2020, Clubhouse is a social media app that allows users to have “casual, drop-in audio conversations” with others. Currently accessible via invitation, Clubhouse provides unique communications opportunities and discovery challenges for professionals in the eDiscovery ecosystem. Provided in this post is a compilation of informational article extracts that may be helpful for data and legal discovery professionals seeking to learn more about Clubhouse and its emergence as both a social media communications conduit and an ephemeral messaging enabler.

An extract from Eric Griffith via PC Mag

What Is Clubhouse? The Invite-Only Chat App Explained

Okay, so what is it?

Here’s the gist: Imagine you have an app on your phone that lets you listen in on other people’s live conversations. But not in a creepy way; these people want to be heard. They may even be famous, or at least interesting or knowledgeable (no guarantee, however). And you may be given the opportunity to join the chat. Think of it as an audio-chat social network. Or as PCMag’s Jordan Minor says in our review, “What if Twitter was a podcast you lived inside of?”

How am I only now hearing about this? When did it launch?

Clubhouse was launched (along with COVID in the US!) in March 2020. It became a big deal to a select few in part because of its invite-only exclusivity, much like a real-world club membership. In those early days, it was an incredibly small community, mainly consisting of venture capitalists. After all, the company behind Clubhouse—Alpha Exploration Co.—got a $12 million investment from Andreessen Horowitz after two months of existence. It was quickly worth $100 million—and it only had 1,500 users at the time. Now it’s open to a lot more than investors, even if it is still invite-only access.

Read the complete article via PC Mag

An extract from an article by Tim Marcin via Mashable

Here’s What You Need to Know about Clubhouse, the Invite-Only Social App

You might’ve heard of Clubhouse by now. It’s unlikely you’ve joined Clubhouse.

That’s because the new social media platform has built its reputation, in part, on exclusivity. You have to secure an invite to get in although that might soon change. Here’s what you need to know about Clubhouse in case you soon find yourself using it.

What is Clubhouse? 

In short: Clubhouse is an audio-based social media app. The company describes itself as “a new type of social product based on voice [that] allows people everywhere to talk, tell stories, develop ideas, deepen friendships, and meet interesting new people around the world.”

Basically, you can jump in and out of different chats, on different subjects, in something akin to a live, free-flowing podcast. You can simply listen or choose to throw in your thoughts. Imagine a cocktail party or, clubhouse.

Vogue described the app‘s experience as “a dizzying bringing together of live podcast-style conversations, panel discussions, networking opportunities (some savvy people are already swapping ‘influencer’ for ‘moderator’) and advantageous multiple-room use (locked and private options are available so you can talk to pals too), the social-media app mimics real-life interactions.”

The audio itself, however, doesn’t leave the app. That’s the main rule: There’s no recording of conversations and they’re not saved.

Read the complete article on Mashable

An extract from an article by Cat Casey via DISCO

Should Legal Professionals Join the Cool Kids Club(house)?

Just when you thought you had wrapped your head around all the various flavors of social media, here comes the new kid on the social media blog to flip the script yet again! Founded in 2020, Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat social networking application that has skyrocketed from a $100M valuation in December 2020 to over $1B in January 2021. It is growing at a rate that puts Facebook and Instagram to shame and shows no signs of slowing down. Legal practitioners would be well-served to understand what exactly it is, how people are engaging with it, and what legal questions and evidentiary concerns it poses.

Like a mix between a live podcast, a Reddit board, and talkback radio where all the chats disappear once the conversation is over, this app poses great strides forward in social connectedness but also risks that the creators may not have foreseen.

What are the dangers?

Clubhouse seems, at first glance, a pretty low-risk platform, especially, given that the platform is not archiving or recording the audio interactions. But, just because the platform does not facilitate retaining audio files does not mean that the participants cannot do so themselves, or worse yet make a claim about what was shared without proof to back it up.

Read the complete article via DISCO

An extract from an article by Nicole Black via Above the Law

The Next Social Media Frontier For Lawyers: Clubhouse

If you’re not already familiar with it, Clubhouse is an audio chat platform that is available as an iOS app and is invite-only for now. It consists of user-created drop-in audio chat rooms. You can form your own chat room or join rooms created by others. These chat rooms can be created spontaneously or scheduled ahead of time. Topics run the gamut, and there’s something for everyone no matter what your areas of interest.

The reason Clubhouse is such a good fit for lawyers is because it’s a great way to showcase your expertise, connect with professional colleagues who might be potential referral sources, and generate exposure for your law firm. The app provides ample opportunities to accomplish all of these goals — it’s simply a matter of learning more about how the app works and then using it strategically.

And best of all, it’s offers a format that is comfortable and familiar to most lawyers. If you’re the moderator of a chat session, it feels as if you’re leading an informal CLE of sorts. And for many lawyers, sharing information verbally is a much better fit than communicating in writing via a blog or by video on YouTube. Notably, audio chat is less formal than writing, and with chat there’s no pressure to create a professionally produced video — or to be perfectly groomed and dressed every time you interact. Instead it’s a decidedly more informal format that is perfect for lawyers seeking to showcase their expertise and share their knowledge.

Read the complete article on Above the Law

An extract from an article by Bruce Hogan via SoftwarePundit

Clubhouse Statistics

Clubhouse’s statistics are impressive. Below are the most important, up-to-date statistics about the application.

Number of Clubhouse Users

Clubhouse Business Valuation

Clubhouse has been around for less than one year and is already valued at more than $1 billion. Here’s a history of its funding rounds and valuation:

Read the complete article on Software Pundit

Additional Reading

• ComplexDiscovery on Clubhouse (@ComplexD) – Initial Event: eDiscovery Lagniappe
• Following the Money? Mike Bryant Provides a SOLID look at Legal Tech Merger and Acquisition Activity

Source: ComplexDiscovery