Here’s What The Party Emoji On Clubhouse Means

You finally snagged a coveted Clubhouse invite, eagerly joined some clubs, and listened in on your very first discussion. But you might be seeing an emoji all over the place that makes you go all *quizzical emoji*: why the heck are there party icons all over the place? If you’re a newbie on the app, you’re probably wondering what the party emoji on Clubhouse means.

The short answer: it’s your welcome party. Clubhouse pins a party emoji on the profile picture of all new members for a week. After seven days, the icon will disappear forever. This badge is meant to welcome you, and let other members know that you’re new, to inspire them to show you the ropes, or be patient with you, or help you find what you’re looking for — the Clubhouse way.

This small, but impactful gesture will also help you identify app newbies, once you graduate to a hat-free in-app existence. Though you may be a seasoned listener, moderator, or speaker by now, everyone wore the welcome hat at some point, and felt lost in the hallways looking for the right room. So if you know your way around, you might want to keep a look out for newcomers, and say “hey” if you’re in a room together, as this is one of the best ways to make friends on the app. Chance are, if you showed up for the same event, you’ve got something in common.

That said, chatting with members on Clubhouse isn’t as easy as it is on other apps. With no DMs, you’ll have to go to the person’s profile, click their bio, and reach out to them on one of their other social media accounts that does have DMs — or email them. It’s not super easy to talk to people 1-1 on the app — but that’s sort of the point. Listening is what Clubhouse is all about.

If you joined the app over a week ago, but haven’t spent much time on it and now your party badge is gone, one way to learn the ropes without talking to anyone outside of the app is checking out the bios of people who in the same rooms as you. See what interests they are tracking, and follow the clubs that they’ve joined that seem interesting to you.

Because Clubhouse is so different from other social media apps, there’s a learning curve and most people on the app are sympathetic to newbies — it’s not like TikTok where you’ll get trolled into changing your part or pants to fit in. It might take long after the party has ended for you to find your way on the app, so be patient, follow friends, and take the time to explore new interests.