How to Get Shiny Object Syndrome Under Control (with guest Amber Hawley, host of the My Biz Bestie Podcast)
SHOW NOTES:
Amber Hawley: Linkedin - Website
My Biz Bestie Podcast: Podcast - Website - Facebook - Instagram - Linkedin
Free Download on Shiny Object Syndrome
Amber on Speaking Your Brand -Podcast (5 Rules for Being an Excellent Emcee with Carol Cox and Amber Hawley: Podcast Ep. 212 Speaking Your Brand)
Brave Bold Beyond Summit - Register
Katie Brinkley: Free Clubhouse Guide - Course
The Mighty Data - Website with Clubhouse data
Profit From Tech - Clubhouse Data
Get the Balance Right Episode Mentions:
Katie Brinkley discusses things you should avoid in social media marketing: Listen to Episode
Take Control of Your Mission and Values Before Your Brand Becomes an Uncontrollable Monster: Listen to Episode
CONTACT HEATHER:
Zeitzwolfe Accounting: Website - Facebook
Contact Heather: Instagram - LinkedIn
Book a Discovery Call (via Zoom) - Click Here
Heather & Get the Balance Right - Link Tree
Set up a strategy session with Heather - HERE
What is Clubhouse?
Taking the Mystery Out of Clubhouse
Don’t worry, I’ll explain. Now I’m not a clubhouse expert, but I know enough to be dangerous. Here’s the deal-io.
Clubhouse is an app that currently only works with Apple Phones and I-Pads. It is sort of exclusive, in that you need an invite to join. But don’t worry, chances are you know someone who is already on Clubhouse, just bug them to invite you to the app. When you download the app, make sure you’re downloading the right app. There’s a project management app with the same name. The icon for the app has changed, but right now it’s a dude wearing a baseball cap. Now that we have that squared away…let’s get to the mock meat and potatoes! Clubhouse is unlike other social media sites, instead of typing messages or posting stuff, Clubhouse is a speaking platform. You can link it to your Twitter or Instagram account to message people you meet on Clubhouse, but currently there is no way to chat by text, it’s all vocal. I’m not sure how they’re handling the usability for those who are hearing impaired. However, the software is still in Beta and updates seem to be happening quite often.
How Do I Use Clubhouse?
Taking the Mystery Out of Clubhouse
The way Clubhouse works, is that there are imaginary halls with imaginary rooms, where discussions take place. You can start a room and invite users to an impromptu discussion or you can join other rooms that have people on an imaginary stage where those who are speaking are situated. Discussions are led by Moderators and they can invite attendees to the stage. On the app, the stage contains the avatars of the speakers and when someone speaks, an outline appears around their avatar to display who is speaking. At first when I heard about Clubhouse it seemed strange. I checked it out and thought to myself, what is all the fuss about Clubhouse? I don’t get it. But then I talked to more users and discovered the benefits of being on Clubhouse.
There are clubs geared towards all sorts of topics. In these rooms, you may have 12 people, while in another room you have a hundred. Entrepreneurs are using Clubhouse to grow their business. When you get on stage, you have the attention of the room. You have the potential to grab the attention of hundreds of people in your target market. If they are intrigued by you and your message, then can click on your avatar and go straight to your bio. Users are seeing tremendous growth in their businesses through using this platform to demonstrate their knowledge and develop street cred. If you’ve ever wanted to be a public speaker or thought leader, this app is for you.
Although my experience has largely been positive, there are some downsides. If you join a room with a lot of participants, you may not have the opportunity to speak, unless you’re one of the moderators, sometimes known as the mod squad. You have to raise your virtual hand and the moderators will determine if you can move to the stage or not. Once you are up there, you have the ability to turn on and off your mic. This is where it gets hairy.
Unless someone calls on you, it’s up to you to chime in when you can. However, that’s not so easy. Some rooms select people to speak based on the order they’ve come to the stage, whereas others rooms it’s just a free for all, where people are turning the mics on and off, which causes the mic icon near them to blink, this is a visual indicator that they want to speak. Sometimes there are several people with blinky mics, all clamoring to say something.
Just like other forms of social media, there are trolls and room disruptors. Even though Clubhouse has rules against this it still happens. I haven’t witnessed this myself, but it was a room-er. That’s what you call something you heard in a room, a room-er.
This episode of Get the Balance Right is all about shiny object syndrome. As entrepreneurs, we're easily distracted by new things, whether its a course, technology, a management method; the list goes on and on. To help us get this under control, we our joined by Amber Hawley. She is a licensed therapist and the host of the My Biz Bestie podcast. Amber specializes in ADHD support, mindset coaching and is a self proclaimed slayer of overwhelm.
In this episode, Amber shares her strategies, techniques and tips, to help us become focused entrepreneurs rather than squirrels. Heather, our host, reveals her new obsession - Clubhouse! Heather takes the mystery out of the app and explains why its her current shiny object. No matter what your shiny object is, this episode will help you get back on track.
Interested in being a guest on the podcast? Do you have a podcast and would like to invite Heather Zeitzwolfe to be a guest? If either apply, please fill out our guest request form.
Why Should I Care About Clubhouse?
Taking the Mystery Out of Clubhouse
I have to admit using Clubhouse is kind of addictive. Maybe because in this pandemic world we are starving for human connections. The fact that this is a faceless connection, outside of the static avatar, it gives us a way to communicate without the need to have a camera on. You can participate while going for a walk or folding laundry. You don’t have to dress up or put makeup on. I have found Clubhouse to be kind of exciting. Especially when you’re waiting in line to speak and you know the whole room is about to listen as soon as its your turn. Its nerve wracking yet liberating. It’s so much easier to express your emotions and thoughts out loud, rather than in a text post. I mean, how many times have people misinterpreted something you posted? That happened to me last week. I think the placement of two extra exclamation points threw off the reader into thinking I was being aggressive. I meant my comment to be friendly and excited and they were turned off thinking I was being mean.
If you’re uncomfortable with public speaking, I think you should still try Clubhouse. In fact, I think this a wonderful platform to grow speaking skills. No one can see if your hands are shaking or if you’re pacing around the room or displaying your signature nervous tick. No one is forcing you to talk; you can listen and enjoy the discussion. But I think its way more fun to be engaged. If you do go up on the stage, you typically have time before it’s your turn to speak, so if you’re feeling tongue tied, just write down what you want to say or ask. No one can see you reading your notes.
I am a total newbie to Clubhouse, but even though the software is still in its infancy, there are folks out there, the early adopters who are now experts on this topic. I was excited to find Katie Brinkley on Clubhouse. She was a guest on the podcast, episode 28, where we talked about the three big mistakes businesses need to avoid on social media. I was so excited to discover Katie on Clubhouse. She is an expert and leads discussions on a regular basis regarding this topic and how to use it for marketing. She has a training course on Clubhouse and a really cool free, handy infographic that gives you all the info you need to navigate and start on Clubhouse. See the show notes for links. If you want to learn more about using Clubhouse, be sure to follow her. Hey and don’t forget to follow me on Clubhouse. Show me some love.
Data on Clubhouse Usage
Because I love stats, I was very interested to see actual data regarding Clubhouse usage. On a blog called The Mighty Data I found some. According to their findings, which was based on user’s bios, interests within the site and other behaviors, here are some interesting facts. Back in December od 2020, the users were heavily based in the US, then the UK, but by mid to late January of 2021 it exploded in different countries across the globe. Focus of interest is highest in marketing, art and design, digital services and IT/Technology, whereas ecommerce, politics and finance are surprisingly very low. However, these percentages are based on an incomplete data set, since a large portion of users have not defined their area of interests within their Clubhouse bio. According to the Profit from Tech website, Clubhouse users were at 1,500 in May 2020 and by January 2021 were at 2 million, but by February 2021 it was at 6 million. According to an article they wrote that was updated at the end of February 2021, the Clubhouse app was the 5th most downloaded app in the Social Media Network category of the App Store, right behind Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Discord.
Tools Heather Recommends…
Miro Virtual Collaborative Boards
The online collaborative whiteboard platform to bring teams and ideas together, anytime, anywhere.
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