People love lists, don’t they? Grocery lists. To-do lists. Blog lists. I decided to write up a list of some blogs I’m so thankful they exist I can’t help but show my appreciation for them by passing them to you my readers. So here they are along with my own personal commentary:

• Change.org’s Social Entrepreneurship–Led by Nathaniel Whittemore, founding Director of the Center for Global Engagement at Northwestern University, Social Entrepreneurship is likely one of my MVP’s of 2008-09. I thoroughly enjoy Whittemore’s coverage of such a wide range of global innovations and consider this blog a MUST read for anyone interested in bringing change to the world’s poor. Whittemore is a young up-and-comer who is definitely going places.
• WhiteAfrican–Born and raised in Africa but now living in Florida with a family, Erik Hersman is another busy up-and-comer to watch with a specific focus on mobile technologies in Africa and their multiple uses. Erik also is the founder of Ushahidi, the groundbreaking nonprofit platform that crowdsources crisis information, being used in Kenya, Congo, Gaza, among other places.
• Global Voices–Likely one of the best put together blogging projects on the developing world today, Global Voices is another site you must visit regardless of your country of focus. According to their About page, “Global Voices seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global conversation online – shining light on places and people other media often ignore. We work to develop tools, institutions and relationships that will help all voices, everywhere, to be heard.” I wouldn’t hesitate to label Global Voices one of the most important innovators in citizen journalism for developing countries. Clearly stunning how much content gets aggregated on Global Voices.
• AfriGadget–Started by Erik Hersman (from WhiteAfrican above) and run by a team of dedicated bloggers, AfriGadget is “a website dedicated to showcasing African ingenuity. A team of bloggers and readers contribute their pictures, videos and stories from around the continent. The stories of innovation are inspiring. It is a testament to Africans bending the little they have to their will, using creativity to overcome life’s challenges.” AfriGadget was also (rightly) named one of the 50 Best Websites of 2008 by Time magazine.
• Timbuktu Chronicles–Operated by Emeka Okafor, the director for TED Global 2007 and also the TED Africa Director, Timbuktu Chronicles “seeks to spur dialogue in areas of entrepreneurship, technology and the scientific method as it impacts Africa.” I enjoy the wide range of topics on Timbuktu Chronicles and the wealth of knowledge that Emeka has to share.