You need an amplifier. For example, you could plug a stereo's output into the Mac to digitize a cassette tape, but most microphones don't have an amp built-in like the stereo does. You can buy pre-amps from companies like m-audio.
i'm just talking about a microphone like for voice-chatting. i realize my macbook has one built-in, but i wanted one with a chord, so i could do the editing and she could just talk and we wouldn't have to pass the macbook back and forth. i was recording her reading a story for her second-graders that i then burned on cd.
Dmber, as already stated by BRussell, the microphone needs to be powered by an amplifier to be recognized--an unpowered one will not be recognized by the line-in port. If you don't want to get the amplifier mentioned above, you can try a USB microphone or use the iMic.
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one like this: http://www.altechco.com/images/0.jpg