{"id":3193,"date":"2021-02-19T14:45:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T14:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/?p=1339791"},"modified":"2021-02-19T14:45:52","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T14:45:52","slug":"oh-no-senior-clubhouse-executive-is-now-a-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=3193","title":{"rendered":"Oh no\u2026 \u2018Senior Clubhouse Executive\u2019 is now a thing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you\u2019ve been online at all in the last few months \u2014 which, let\u2019s face it, <\/span>you have<\/span><\/i> \u2014 then you\u2019re bound to have caught a glimpse of the annoying Clubhouse<\/a> hype. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat social networking app\u2026 so yet another place where \u2018innovative minds\u2019 can speak their minds unhindered. Only this time around it\u2019s all live audio so you can hear their unfiltered and unstructured thoughts in real-time\u2026 yay, sign me up\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

But now the app has gone far beyond being just hype. It isn\u2019t just the lone \u2018office Chad\u2019 who\u2019s raving on about the amazing talk he hosted on the <\/span>exclusive invite-only<\/span><\/i> platform with his fellow hustlers. Now it\u2019s actually become a <\/span>profession<\/span><\/i>. <\/span>Battenhall<\/span><\/a>, a London-based communications agency, is <\/span>hiring a Senior Clubhouse Executive<\/span><\/a>. Yup, for reals.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve got to admit I\u2019m pretty skeptical about Clubhouse\u2019s value (you couldn\u2019t tell, right?). However, I\u2019m on a professional journey to <\/span>get to the bottom of jargon startup job titles <\/span><\/a>\u2014 so I reached out to Battenhall\u2019s founder and CEO, <\/span>Drew Benvie<\/span><\/a>, who\u2019s responsible for the title, to dig deeper into its inception and meaning.
<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/a>Drew Benvie, founder and CEO of Battenhall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First up, WTF is Clubhouse?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Essentially, it\u2019s a live audio social network that launched in private beta back in April 2020. Clubhouse\u2019s focus on \u2018just audio\u2019 differentiates it somewhat from other social media platforms as users can enter different \u2018rooms\u2019 and listen in on live user-hosted interviews and sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n

You also have the opportunity to chime in just by clicking on the \u2018raise your hand\u2019 icon and the host can then let you share your two cents. On top of that, you can also create your own room for open, social, or closed chats.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/a>This is pretty much what it looks like.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The reason why I like to dunk on the platform \u2014 besides being a general party-pooper \u2014 is its annoying \u2018tech bro\u2019 vibe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Case in point, there\u2019s already a host of support apps<\/a> for the platform and even a concierge<\/i> service<\/i>. This feels like peak Clubhouse <\/i>to outside skeptics.
<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Just got pitched a “Clubhouse concierge service” that will monitor your Clubhouse account until it’s your turn to speak for \u00a312 an hour pic.twitter.com\/yMbQe2Ugm1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Sam Shead (@Sam_L_Shead) February 16, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I was hoping I wouldn\u2019t have to try Clubhouse out \u2014 <\/span>ever <\/span><\/i>\u2014 but alas, the gods had something else in store for me. Before getting Benvie\u2019s insights on the platform, I\u2019d have to try it out for myself.<\/span><\/p>\n

First up, I hadn\u2019t realized through all the hype that you can only access Clubhouse <\/span>with an iPhone<\/span><\/i>. It\u2019s still in beta testing and currently only available for iOS. So despite having an invite, the first thing I had to do was procure an iPhone just to log in.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I finally got one, what did I see? Bad moderation and unstructured sessions. <\/span>It felt like I was listening to a chaotic, unedited podcast. <\/span><\/p>\n

Quartz Daily Brief<\/span><\/a> pointed out that Clubhouse basically shows how <\/span>not <\/span><\/i>to run a meeting. Its summary was pretty much in line with my experience:<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: Quartz<\/a><\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>Truer words have never been spoken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To be fair, I wasn\u2019t logging on out of a genuine interest in a certain topic, so that needs to be taken into account. But what\u2019s Drew Benvie\u2019s take? He\u2019s an early adopter and pushing his company to invest in a Senior Clubhouse Executive. Is Benvie ready to defend the quality of Clubhouse content?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI joined a session the other day that lasted <\/span>five hours<\/span><\/i>. I only stayed for 10 minutes and said to myself \u2018wow, this is rubbish.\u2019 Luckily, I was on mute\u2026 or at least I hope I was,\u201d Benvie says.
<\/span><\/p>\n

Ouch.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Benvie, the nice way to describe the majority of shows on Clubhouse is \u201cfree-flowing,\u201d but usually that tends to mean a lack of moderation and proper structure. A big percentage of sessions also seem to be just a series of loosely coupled together self-promotional appearances that offer no value to anyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut that\u2019s actually okay,\u201d Benvie explains. \u201cI think it\u2019s fine for a new social network to have some rubbish on it, because it\u2019s a sign that it\u2019s innovating. I wouldn\u2019t write it off just because there\u2019s some poor content on there now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about serendipity <\/b><\/h2>\n

But, Benvie says it\u2019s much easier to fix poor content than replicate the excitement Clubhouse creates \u2014 which it\u2019s darn good at.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Benvie feels it\u2019s currently a struggle to find good content on Clubhouse \u2014 both due to the sheer volume of bad stuff and search\/recommendation options still being in development \u2014 he\u2019s undeniably hooked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, I\u2019m the CEO of a company, it doesn\u2019t quite make sense how much time I\u2019ve put into this,\u201d Benvie chuckles. \u201cBut I\u2019m kind of an accidental early-adopter and I just wanted to dive in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/a>Look how many people went to see Benvie\u2019s Ted Talk \u2014 he clearly knows what he\u2019s talking about.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI would say Clubhouse\u2019s real strength is that it\u2019s created a platform for serendipity,\u201d Benvie explains. \u201cStrip everything else away, when high profile people turn up unannounced and take everybody by surprise, that\u2019s what I find really interesting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Just the other day, Benvie caught Mark Zuckerberg\u2019s surprise appearance on Clubhouse. It felt much more personal because the audience actually has a chance to chime in. <\/span><\/p>\n

Benvie has also had serendipitous moments in rooms he himself has hosted. Damian Collins, one of the members of the UK parliament you\u2019ll see grilling social media executives in the courts, joined his room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI spoke to him directly for 20 minutes in front of a relatively small audience. I mean, this is the kind of individual that I don\u2019t think would ever have opened an email from me asking to speak privately or publicly. This is when I saw the true potential of Clubhouse to bring people together in a different and authentic way.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Make way, Senior Clubhouse Executive coming through<\/b><\/h2>\n

Ok\u2026 so the person responsible for bringing a Senior Clubhouse Executive into the world isn\u2019t a super crazy evangelist for Clubhouse \u2014 just a curious accidental early-adopter trying to understand the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what is up with this new job title, is this just a marketing ploy concocted by Battenhall? I mean, I bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benvie cracks up. \u201cNo, it\u2019s a real role.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At Battenhall, a \u2018Senior Executive\u2019 is a standard job title for someone with three to five years experience in communications consulting. People in those roles come from a wide variety of backgrounds \u2014 journalists, YouTubers, etc. \u2014 but the new hire will spend most of their time on Clubhouse, so it was added to the title. <\/span><\/p>\n

But why put so much money on Clubhouse? Battenhall could\u2019ve easily hired a <\/span>Junior<\/span><\/i> Clubhouse Executive, but instead, Benvie is committing them fully to this strategy. The answer is actually pretty simple.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit: Battenhall<\/a><\/figcaption>
<\/i><\/a>Yup, looks real.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe key thing about this role is that it\u2019s come via demand from clients of ours, asking us to help them understand and create an authentic presence on Clubhouse,\u201d Benvie explains. \u201cThe role came about quite organically. While I and others at Battenhall have spent time on the social network, we realized that somebody who\u2019s highly experienced with the app would be a perfect fit for us \u2014 and our clients.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

About whether the title will stick around forever, Benvie does concede that even though Clubhouse is doing for audio what Twitter did for text messaging and YouTube for video, it could still lose its prevalence. Snapchat introduced Stories, but now platforms like Instagram are more famous for the feature. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, the interest from clients and the growth of Clubhouse\u2019s userbase make it clear the title will be important for the foreseeable future.
<\/span><\/p>\n

Hello\u2026 is it me you\u2019re looking for?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Fair enough, but Battenhall hasn\u2019t found its Senior Clubhouse Executive yet \u2014 so let\u2019s take a look at the required skills. Well, they need to have vast experience on a platform that\u2019s been around for\u2026 not even a year. Oh, and it\u2019s still in beta.<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, you can still have loads of experience, relative to the platform\u2019s lifespan. Benvie says they\u2019ll be taking into account technical skills and relevant backgrounds during the interviews \u2014 which will take place on Clubhouse on February 22 (sadly they\u2019ll be in private rooms, so I can\u2019t heckle the candidates). <\/span><\/p>\n

I still find it fun to bash on Clubhouse and the vibe around it, but I\u2019ve got to admit I\u2019m a tiny bit convinced by Benvie\u2019s and Battenhall\u2019s earnest approach to the social network\u2019s possibilities. <\/span><\/p>\n

And while I\u2019m still not completely sure I want to do this to the world, you can apply here<\/a> to become a Senior Clubhouse Executive. I hope history will treat me kindly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Got any weird jargon job titles at your startup that actually kinda make sense? Let us know at [email protected]<\/a>!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Published February 19, 2021 \u2014 14:45 UTC <\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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