They've been in the works for a little while, but now Facebook has made it official, with the announcement of a range of new audio social options across its apps as it seeks to tap into the Clubhouse-led trend.
Facebook's history of replication suggested that it was always going to copy Clubhouse in some way, with the audio meeting app seeing significant usage momentum as people look for ways to replace IRL meet-ups amid the pandemic.
And given Facebook's massive reach, and established presence in many people's lives, it could pose the biggest threat to Clubhouse's growth as yet - especially given the breadth of tools Facebook has announced
First off, in what's likely the most direct assault on Clubhouse, Facebook is launching an audio-only version of its Rooms feature in Facebook and Messenger, which will enable people to start up audio rooms that their connections can join which will be highlighted at the top of News Feeds and chats within each app.
As you can see, the new option will have a very Clubhouse-like format, with hosts highlighted at the top of the screen, and listeners tuning in shown below. Users will be able to make their rooms public or private, while they'll also be discoverable in a separate Rooms tab.
Creators will also be able to monetize their Rooms, via Facebook's Stars donation system, while it's also working on additional monetization models, "like the ability to charge for access to a Live Audio Room through a single purchase or a subscription".
In addition to this, Facebook says that creators will also be able to turn a live conversation into a podcast for everyone to listen to later, providing more ways to use the content.
Of course, Facebook is not designed around audio connection like Clubhouse is, which may make its audio rooms less engaging. But then again, Facebook does have one specific, directly aligned tool to help boost its audio rooms option - Facebook groups.
As part of the initial rollout of audio rooms, Facebook will test the option in groups, with users able to set up audio rooms within their groups specifically, which could be a great way to spark engagement among like-minded people. And given that groups are used by over 1.8 billion people every month, that could make this a highly valuable add-on, with people now able to drop in and listen to chats among group members on topics they're already regularly engaging with.
For comparative context, Clubhouse, at last check, has around 2 million active users. If Facebook's audio rooms catch on in groups, that could mean that a significant chunk of potential Clubhouse users never switch over to the audio app, staying within the groups and tools they know instead.
