This research aims to build frameworks for personal branding and community building best practices on audio chat-based social media. It takes the case study of Clubhouse to understand the outcomes and the uniqueness of this new type of social media, and to understand the craze surrounding it. The research is constructed around a qualitative research build on non-probability and heterogeneous purposive sampling methodology-based interviews with an inductive and interpretivist approach. These frameworks contain key factors to develop personal branding and community building, to understand the phenomenon and relationship between them, relate it to the differences and the impacts on other social media platforms and on the impact for content creators’ activities or businesses.
The research results provide two frameworks, one for personal branding based on 10 major factors, and one for community building, englobing personal branding and based on 7 key factors. Results tend towards a humanitarian approach of interactions between content creators and their audience, and towards the usage of the specificities resulting from the Clubhouse model. The Clubhouse model is analyzed throughout the case study, and highlights the challenges ahead as a platform to survive the trend, and the possible modifications that it will face in the future.

ABSTRACT I
ACKNOWLEDGMENT II
LIST OF FIGURES VI
LIST OF TABLES VII
CHAPTER: 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Research Motivation and Background 1
1.2 Research Objectives 3
1.3 Research Questions 4
1.4 Research Structure 5
CHAPTER: 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6
2.1 Social Media 6
2.1.1 Social Media 6
2.1.2 User Generated Content (UGC) 8
2.1.3 Web 2.0 9
2.1.4 Social Media Platforms 10
2.2 Social Media Community 14
2.2.1 Community 14
2.2.2 Brand community 16
2.2.3 Online community and social media community 18
2.2.4 Building online community 19
2.3 Personal Branding 21
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 27
3.1 Methodology Design 27
3.1.1 Introduction 27
3.1.2 Qualitative methodology 27
3.1.3 Methodological research approach 28
3.2 Data Collection and Analysis 32
3.2.1 Data collection 32
3.2.2 Sample selection and technique 33
3.2.3 Research process 34
3.2.4 Data analysis 35
3.2.5 Ethical considerations 36
3.2.6 Limitations 37
3.3 Case Study Analysis 38
3.3.1 Case selection 38
3.3.2 Purpose of the case 39
3.4 Interviews 40
3.4.1 Introduction 40
3.4.2 Design 40
3.4.3 Profile of interviewee 41
3.4.3 Questions 43
CHAPTER 4: UNDERSTANDING CLUBHOUSE 45
4.1 Clubhouse Introduction 45
4.1.1 What is clubhouse? 45
4.1.2 Performance summary 48
4.1.3 Clubhouse competition 49
4.2 The Clubhouse Model 50
4.2.1 Invite only strategy 50
4.2.2 Launching time 53
4.2.3 Celebrities endorsement 54
4.2.4 The existing trend of podcasts 54
4.3 Opportunities and Challenges for Clubhouse 55
4.3.1 First mover and timing 55
4.3.2 Ease to start producing content 56
4.3.3 Other platforms developing 57
4.3.4 Surviving the trend 57
4.3.5 Clubhouse issues 59
4.3.6 Monetizing the platform for creator and Clubhouse 62
CHAPTER 5: PERSONAL BRANDING ON AUDIO CHAT-BASED SOCIAL MEDIA 66
5.1 Personal Branding on Audio Chat-Based Social Media 66
5.2 Building Community on Audio Chat-Based Social Media 73
5.3 Differences and Impact on Other Social Media Platforms 78
5.3.1 Perceived difference 78
5.3.2 Having different social media for personal branding and building communities 78
5.3.3 Impact of audio chat-based social media community building and personal branding on other platforms 79
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS 80
6.1 Major Findings 80
6.2 Limitations and Future Research 83
REFERENCE 84
APPENDIX 1A 90
APPENDIX 1B 95
APPENDIX 2 100
APPENDIX 3 104
APPENDIX 4 107

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