Many new startups are taking the opportunity as we spend more time indoors and in front of screens.

As you may have heard, there are two new social applications that have people talking. The creators used the oldest trick in the book – ‘invite-only’ tactics to create the buzz and make us feel a little bit more special if we receive that invite in our inbox. In this blog, we are going to talk about these apps – Clubhouse and Telepath – both of which got Silicon Valley rousing.

Clubhouse came first –  an audio-only based social network where people can spontaneously jump into voice chat rooms and join any conversation.

But who can introduce the app better than the creators themselves. According to them:   “Clubhouse is a new type of network based on voice. When you open the app you can see “rooms” full of people talking—all open so you can hop in and out, exploring different conversations. You enter each room as an audience member, but if you want to talk you just raise your hand, and the speakers can choose to invite you up. Or you can create a room of your own. It’s a place to tell stories, ask questions, debate, learn, and have impromptu conversations on thousands of different topics.’’

It is the latest supper buzzy social network. It is a social network for audio, Essentially, instead of going on your phone, staring into the screen, and start typing, you listen and you talk. You could compare it to entering a conference during a Q&A. Almost like a podcasting experience where your friends are and where celebrities are hanging out.

If that sounds like your cup of tea, you have one challenge ahead: actually getting the app.

The first users to get the app were invited. These invites were sent out to very well-known people in the Tech industry as well as some celebrities.

Although the founders claim the app was never meant to be exclusive, that’s how it feels. From the beginning, it had a really tight limit on the number of invites as small as 12 people a day with under 300 active users a day during the first couple of months of the unofficial release.

(This is resembling one of those very exclusive London’s member’s clubs, but online. It’s like being on a night out in Soho but you’re not allowed in any of the fancy bars, so you have to back to Brixton)

In other words, this is one of the most exclusive clubs out there right now.

The creators have expressed that at the beginning, they wanted to keep things quiet as they didn’t feel the app was ready for everyone. We can’t really say they were successful at it, but there you go… the app made a lot of noise in April as Forbes released the report on startups valuation of $100m. Clearly, it raised some eyebrows.

Fast-forward a couple of months and we got some observations.

After some initial feedback and users reporting issues with moderation, bullying, and harassment, the app finally got its Twitter account and a rather blank website. Currently, anyone can download the app on the App Store and ‘’register’’ but without the invite, it’s just an app icon on your screen. However, we got to admit,  the creators provided an explanation clarifying why they’ve done the things the way they did.

Recently, Clubhouse released this statement on Twitter along with some moderation guidelines, so perhaps it may not be that long before it’s open to everyone.

Another newbie is Telepath, and just like Clubhouse, Telepath is on private beta. The new social media app is something in between Twitter and Reddit. It borrows the central scrolling feed where you can follow other users from Twitter, but the procedure of posting resembles Reddit, which means that every post must be created within a group, or “a network” as Telepath calls it. Users can create these networks on any topic they want.

At the first glance it might seem like it’s pretty much like any other major social network out there, however, Telepath says otherwise.

The app emphasizes content moderation and enforces its community guidelines. On this front, Telepath is the opposite to Clubhouse when it comes to moderation. It came out with some strict rules on how the app should be used.

The number one rule of the platform is to be kind and more empathetic to one other online. Have a look at an example of their behavior guidelines to encourage a positive social network environment:

‘’Be kind. Don’t be mean. Don’t attack people or insult what they post. Assume that other people have good intentions. If a reasonable person would think you’re being an asshole, that’s not okay. Persistent behavior that’s on the line is not okay.’’

No hate speech or harassment is tolerated. The activities within the platform are monitored in-house to ensure 100% user compliance with the moderation guidelines. To minimize the resources required to make it happen, users must use their real name and a real mobile number to register.

This policy has raised some questions and critics have said that marginalized groups may not want to join with their real name due to various reasons. In response to this, the app will release a set of exceptions to the rule over time.

Moreover, with increasing dis and misinformation across the social media platforms, Telepath plans to introduce a feature that will score publishers – Trust score. Publishers that repeatedly spread false information on their domains will be suspended and are not allowed on the platform. The trust score will show the users what articles are factually incorrect and how.

Telepath praises its culture of kindness and moderation guidelines and has expressed that it will grow as long as it can fully preserve its moderation policies.

Have you received your invitation to either of these apps?

Both apps present us with something different, and we would darer to say – unique. Clubhouse takes our eyes off the screen and reduces the excessive screen time while still allowing us to be present and participate. Telepathy sets out to create a better, more accepting world trying to eliminate hate speech and bullying. During these times everyone could use some of that!

Some interesting concepts here, but will it last? Time will tell.