Facebook tests one, Twitter has one, Telegram (cam) has one and even LinkedIn is working on one – every social network that is taken seriously has a Clubhouse clone these days. The hot audio-only chat / conference platform has inspired many competitors to come up with their own alternatives, and now the latest party membership is Reddit.
The social network announced a quick preview of Reddit Talk, which “allows you to host live audio conversations in your community.” The new format is currently only for invitations for community moderators, but once it’s live for them, they can start discussions with all members and visitors of their subreddit. In the future, other “trusted” Redditors may also start new voice chats themselves, but details about them are still in the air.
If you’ve ever heard of Clubhouse, Reddit Talk should be familiar. Moderators can invite speakers to debate a topic, and listeners can give feedback by reacting with emojis. People can also raise their virtual hands to participate in a discussion on their own, if the moderator allows it. Reddit says the new format will be great for all kinds of interactive conversations, such as AMA (Ask Me Anything), question and answer sessions, lectures, radio-sports discussions, community feedback sessions and more. Reddit also tests customization options for hosts, allowing them to create unique experiences with their own background colors and emoji.
Reddit invites moderators to help model the feature by asking for feedback, ideas, and questions. If you’re a Reddit community manager yourself, you can join the waiting list in the ad post. It will probably take some more time for the feature to be fully launched and available to everyone. Talk will be launched first in Reddit mobile apps on Android and iOS.
