Clubhouse clones are coming • Hacker News Board

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#21

Post by telesilla » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:33 AM UTC

readflaggedcomm wrote: post #17

Mumble's been available on Android and iOS for years. These upstarts don't all have network effects going for them. Traditionally, conference calls were something we all avoided. Despite these things, and contrary to my expectations, these voice chats are popular. Recording quality beats a POTS line, but that's the only upside. Maybe it makes everybody feel like they're in their own podcast (their own "pod" as the ki…

Exactly, I was wondering why free conference.com which has been around for years, or something like it, couldn't just whitelabel itself and boom, a million easy competitors.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#22

Post by freewizard » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:35 AM UTC

Not mentioned by the OP but Telegram also released an update last week to its group voice call feature, which essentially turns a channel or group into a ClubHouse room. https://telegram.org/blog/voice-chats-on-steroids

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#23

Post by Manheim » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:40 AM UTC

themolecularman wrote: post #15

They're already here. A while back I looked into what it would take to make my own clubhouse app to compete. I found there were already dozens, all with tens of thousands (or more) downloads on the Play store and App store.

True, Clubhouse fame was very much due to a media hype, An important lesson to learn though. It doesn't matter if you are a late arriver, or your product is so so. If you manage to hit the popular culture hype waves you get traction from the popular media. That said, the hype around Clubhouse is allready in decline. Another lesson learned. A hit doesn't necessarily stick and can be over as fast as it started while the party moves on to the next hype.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#24

Post by 88840-8855 » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:44 AM UTC

I don't like that app. It's trying so hard do be cool and different. The invite only created an artificial hype, i don't like that.

I got it to see how it was - and removed it as soon as i saw how it was:

EVERYBODY talks, nobody listens.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#25

Post by Leary » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:45 AM UTC

I have never been on Clubhouse, because I don't own an Iphone. but I have listened to every one of the Clubhouse townhalls hosted by Paul Davison.

He realizes that his app is only as good as the people who are on it, whether those people came on as a part of his brilliant app design or as a coincidence of the pandemic.

In other words, he has Network Effects. Capitalized merely for effects.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#26

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:45 AM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #7

Technically speaking it's difficult to see if the label 'clone' is justified given that the concept of audio only chat rooms isn't exactly new. The biggest clubhouse 'innovation' might have been to make it an invite only app and thus create a cascade of FOMO in the style of Gibson's 'antimarketing' in Zero History where someone creates the world's most sought after jeans by simply not selling it anywhere.

[deleted]

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#27

Post by habibur » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:46 AM UTC

Barrin92 wrote: post #7

Technically speaking it's difficult to see if the label 'clone' is justified given that the concept of audio only chat rooms isn't exactly new. The biggest clubhouse 'innovation' might have been to make it an invite only app and thus create a cascade of FOMO in the style of Gibson's 'antimarketing' in Zero History where someone creates the world's most sought after jeans by simply not selling it anywhere.

Facebook was invite only in the first days. So was gmail and most of other "high in demand but not yet ready" apps.

So being invite only isn't bad in the first days. But if it can't serve its popularity within a reasonable time frame, someone else will take their market, no surprise there.

Reminds me of Orkut which remained invite only as a policy for most of its life span.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#28

Post by konart » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:50 AM UTC

reidjs wrote: post #5

One clubhouse is already too many. Listening to clubhouse is like turning a screen reader on your LinkedIn feed.

Fortunately people may have different experience

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#29

Post by reidjs » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 5:52 AM UTC

themolecularman wrote: post #16

reidjs wrote: post #5

One clubhouse is already too many. Listening to clubhouse is like turning a screen reader on your LinkedIn feed.

On the other hand, while there are a lot of "influencer" rooms, there have been a lot of rooms where discussions I don't see going on anywhere else are happening. I'm specifically talking about politics, things like CRT (critical race theory) and it's march through schools, business, and politics. As well as other controversial subjects. At times they get heated but for the most part people are generally civil and th…

That’s good to know, maybe I should check out some of the less popular rooms. Similarly, it would be unfair to judge all of Reddit based on their default subreddits.

Re: Clubhouse clones are coming

#30

Post by SilverRed » Thu, Apr 01, 2021, 6:03 AM UTC

88840-8855 wrote: post #24

I don't like that app. It's trying so hard do be cool and different. The invite only created an artificial hype, i don't like that. I got it to see how it was - and removed it as soon as i saw how it was: EVERYBODY talks, nobody listens.

>EVERYBODY talks, nobody listens.

This is how I feel about any voice chat that extends over 5 other people being in it. I usually just leave because its too busy.