Here’s a first look at Mark Cuban Fireside’s podcasting platform

Last month, The Verge broke the news of the new Fireside app by Mark Cuban and Falon Fatemi, which promises to deliver a “state-of-the-art podcast platform” and today we can provide a better sense of the app’s functionality and interface. It is currently in beta on iOS with a limited number of testers, most of which appear to work with venture capital or as podcasters. However, your chats are visible to anyone, even if they are not a user, through a browser and this desktop view, as well as screen shots of the application that The Verge you see, we can get an idea of ​​what Fireside is trying to achieve.

Generally speaking, the app is best described as a hybrid between Spotify’s Anchor software and Clubhouse. Although he prioritizes live conversations, like the Clubhouse, he tries to make impromptu conversations look more professional. The introductory song welcomes people in a room, for example, which is a nice touch, but it doesn’t translate exactly as during an edited podcast. The music, for now, sounds disconnected and out of place.

The big emphasis, at least based on the conversations that take place in the app, seems to be on how Fireside can help podcasters monetize their work through exclusive conversations or, in some cases, recruit them to Fireside for all their podcasting efforts. The app encourages public participation more than the Clubhouse, as users can react to conversations without being on stage and can type comments or questions.

The app’s creators say they’ve heard that the app will allow them to host their programs and distribute them via RSS feeds to Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other podcast players, which is more in line with Anchor than Clubhouse. A chat creator says he plans to use Fireside for hosting instead of his regular service.

Looking at the desktop view, user profiles include a photo, a bio and a follower / follower count. You can also see the rooms that the user has hosted, as well as those in which he has participated. The application records conversations natively, so you can listen to these past chats on the desktop. The app apparently assigns an emoji to archived chats, although it is unclear how they are chosen.

After joining a chat, you can press play in a conversation. You will probably immediately notice a song similar to hold at the beginning, which comes from a Fireside bot called waitBOT. The bot says it plays “a relaxing song for you while you wait for people to come in”. You can also see the event description as a chyron at the bottom of the screen, as well as information, such as how many people listened and who hosted it.

A “skip” button allows you to skip to highlighted parts of the conversation, which the host chooses. As the speakers change during the conversation, you will see the profile picture and name. Hammered speakers are moderators, while crowned speakers are the hosts. Moderators and hosts can automatically silence people and welcome the stage.

Tuning in to a live chat from the desktop is a little less complete than recorded conversations. You can only see icons and names, as well as the number of people who are listening. When someone’s microphone is on, the photo is completely opaque and, when the sound is muted, it is transparent.

From the application itself, which The Verge seen in screenshots, users can “react” to conversations with emoji and sound effects. People can clap, for example, what appears in the recorded conversations and solves a problem that Clubhouse users have encountered: a quiet room and no way to assess how what they are saying is going on.

Audience members can also choose an emoji and type in a comment without directly entering the conversation. These comments and emoji will appear in the participants’ heads as a thought bubble. Moderators or hosts can then type back or address comments during the chat.

If participants Does want to enter the live chat, they can ask to enter the stage by tapping a microphone emoji and submitting a written request.

For now, this is our best view of Fireside. Fatemi declined to comment on this story and we have no better idea of ​​when the app will be released publicly. We will update this story if we learn more.