QWiPS (formerly known as Blurts) introduced a product this week that brings a missing element to the social web: voice. Up until now, our interactions on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere involved typed text, but QWiPS lets you add up to 30 seconds of voice to these social interactions.

QWiPS launched its website last week and announced the upcoming October release of an iOS application, allowing users to add a voice annotation to images or social networking applications.

As QWiPS Founder and President Jeffrey Stier points out, voice is the most natural way that humans socialize. "The social web binds us together in unique and inextricable ways with family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances and even strangers," he said.

"Yet, currently the social web is silent. QWiPS is changing that in a powerful way. Our goal is to become the tool of choice for the sharing and personalization of voice on the web," he added.

But QWiPS doesn't just want to be the voice for consumers. It sees this as a valuable channel for two-way communication between brands and customers, as well as a way for brands (whether a product or a person) to interact with consumers using voice.

While this is an open web tool, right now, I could also see this type of functionality being added to Enterprise Social platforms, as Enterprise Social vendors look for ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.

For now, this product provides a unique service for social media users, and it should be interesting to see if users like having a voice option in social networking tools that have previously been silent.

For more information:
- see the QWiPS press release

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