There have been several startups lately that offer ways to leave audio messages on websites. Many of them involve using your phone by either calling a number or having an automated system call you. Library Clips has compiled a good catalog of these sites, so I won’t bother to put a list here.

One of the sites, MyChingo, uses Flash or Java to embed a widget that can use your computer’s microphone to record a message without the need of a phone. This gives you the ability to let your website readers leave audio comments instead of written ones.

I have my doubts that people would actually use this on a regular basis. Are microphones ubiquitous enough to make audio messages common-place? What percentage of readers who would normally leave a text message be willing to leave an audio message? Does using your own voice intrude on your sense of privacy or anonymity? Think it’s a great idea? Okay, prove it:

The widget above (click here if you’re in a feed reader) will let you record a message using your computer microphone. I currently have messages set to be public, so you’ll be able to hear what other people have already said. (This may require a little moderation on my part… we’ll see what kind of restraint your fellow readers employ.)

If you can’t stand the idea of audio messages, tell us off in the traditional text comments below.