As some of you may know, I’ve developed a passion for microfinance. My journey into exploring microfinance started back in April of 2007 (wow, over a year ago) when I discovered Kiva and realized the potential for using web 2.0 technology to change people’s lives. Additionally, in August, one of my best friends from high school, Kayla Villnow, made the decision to live and work in the Dominican Republic helping grow microfinance. She now works for Esperanza, a lender of micro loans founded by Dave Valle (long-time Mariners catcher). In September, Kayla sent me an e-mail that I highlighted on this blog that I could not ignore; I concluded by saying this:

I think there is a huge need to catapult all the great things micro-lenders around the world (and non-profits like Kiva) are doing into the national spotlight. If you’re passionate about micro-finance and bringing people out of poverty, please either leave a comment or e-mail me — maybe we can collaborate and figure out a way to bring more attention to these stories and issues.

I’m kicking myself for taking so long with this project, but I’m happy to say that my friend from college, Jerry Ostradicky, and I can finally announce the side project relating to microfinance we’ve been working on for some time — myKRO.org, a multi-author blog dedicated to microfinance.

The goal of the blog is two-fold –

1. Educate the general public about what microfinance is and how it impacts the lives of those it touches
2. Share best practices from the microfinance community

If you are wondering what the name myKRO means — it originated from a combination of English and Bengali words. The phrase “Khudro Riner Ontore” means Inside Microfinance in Bengali, which abbreviates to KRO. To demonstrate the importance of the personal nature of microfinance, the “my” was added. Of course, the fact that myKRO happens to sound like micro didn’t hurt.

The next question you are probably wondering is “why?” Pretty simple actually. After learning about Kiva, I spoke to numerous friends, colleagues, and family members about microfinance. EVERYONE thought the concept was awesome once I explained it to them. The problem? Despite the fact that the concept is 25 years old, no one knew what microfinance was or how they could help.

I scoured the web for a central source of news, opinion, and analysis, but didn’t really find anything that fit what I was looking for — so, I decided that I would organize a multi-author blog for anyone passionate about microfinance to share their experiences, thoughts, and opinions regarding microlending. I told my friend Jerry about the idea and, luckily for me, he immediately expressed interest in helping organize and run the blog.

As I’ve said before, part of the reason I blog is to increase awareness for issues not given the proper attention in the mainstream media — and microfinance is certainly a concept that could use some additional awareness.

There so much more I could write, but to wrap this up, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Jeff Turner, the President of Real Estate Shows, who was kind enough to design the logo for myKRO.org.

If you are interested in helping, you can do a couple of things:

• If you know anyone passionate about microfinance, let them know about myKRO.org
• If you are a techie and would like to help coding some new features into the blog, send me an e-mail (my e-mail is on the sidebar)
• Head over to myKRO and read the 1st post
• Blog about it!!

I don’t know the specifics of the fbOpen project, but the concept is very cool with lots of potential.

There’s a great article at ReadWriteWeb worth reading — How to Use Social Media for Social Change.

I think it’s horribly sad that humans can do something like this.

It’ll be interesting to see how much content the New York Times makes available in their new API currently in the works.

I’m going to attend a public forum on microcredit Thursday at UW — if you live in the Seattle area and are interested in learning more about microfinance, the details are below.

Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: University of Washington, Kane Hall 220 and the Walker Ames Room 225

Panelists include:

• Rick Beckett, CEO of Global Partnerships
• Peter Bladin, VP of Grameen Foundation and Director of Grameen Technology Center
• Terry Provance, Executive Director of Oikocredit USA
• Sangita Sigdyal, Deputy Director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign
• Carol Welch, former U.S. Coordinator of the U.N. Millennium Campaign

Moderator: Penny LeGate, KIRO TV news anchor and reporter

This forum is second in a series of planned events addressing the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It will feature exhibits from a range of local microcredit organizations and a panel of experts representing leading Microfinance practitioners and organizations devoted to alleviating poverty in regions around the world.

The panel discussion is sponsored by the Puget Sound Millennium Goals Project and the Center for Global Studies of the Jackson School at the University of Washington.

The event is free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

Before reading further, first ask yourself several questions:

• Do you live in Seattle?
• Do you enjoy Happy Hour?
• Do you like supporting good causes?

If the answer to all three questions is “YES” — then read on.

One of my good friends works for St. Jude Children’s Hospital and I’m happy to say she’s organized the first Friends of St. Jude Happy Hour in Seattle. The event is going to be May 20th (next week) at Del Rey in Belltown! We will be meeting in the back room, and tacos will be provided until they run out. We would love to have you join us for some free food, a chance to network with some other young professionals, and support St. Jude!

Host: Friends of St. Jude
Location: Del Ray
2332 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 US
View Map
When: Tuesday, May 20, 4:30PM to 7:00PM

The cost will be $5 for members of Friends of St. Jude, or $10 for non-members. If you are interested in joining, you will have the opportunity to sign up and hear more about the program at the event!

Cash/ Credit/ Check will be accepted

Here is the Evite for more details.

• MySpace Embraces DataPortability, Partners With Yahoo, Ebay And Twitter
• Announcing Facebook Connect
• Three’s Company Or Three’s A Crowd? Google To Launch “Friend Connect” On Monday

I won’t pretend to know too much about these programs, but I will say this — the business development divisions of Google, Myspace, and Facebook are going to be working overtime recruiting partners for the next few months. I don’t anticipate all three of these initiatives will gain traction (unless all the major web portals choose to implement all three APIs), so the race is on to close deals with highly trafficked websites on the web — Myspace has a clear lead early on as a result of their announced data sharing deals with Yahoo, Ebay, and Twitter.

I stumbled upon this tonight — Nudge, Don’t Push- 10 Tips for Building Online Communities (from SmallBoxConsulting).

My friend forwarded the “How do you Develop Self-Control?” passage below (written by Rick Warren) and I thought it was worth sharing. While I’m personally not that religious, I’m a believer that self-control is a huge piece of being successful.

Successful people have one obvious trait in common: personal discipline. They are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.

It’s my observation that successful people express their self-discipline in six ways:

Successful people master their moods – They live by their commitments, not their emotions. They do the right thing, even when they don’t feel like it. “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls” (Proverbs 25:28 NLT).

Successful people watch their words – They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths: “Those who control their tongue will have a long life ….” (Proverbs 13:3 NLT).

Successful people restrain their reactions – How much can you take before you lose your cool? “People with good sense restrain their anger; they earn esteem by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT).

Successful people stick to their schedule – If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you! “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (Ephesians 5:15-16, NLT).

Successful people manage their money – They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went: “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get” (Proverbs 21:20 NLT).

Successful people maintain their health – That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements: “… control your body and live in holiness and honor” (1 Thessalonians 4:4 NLT).

Now, where do you need to develop self-control?

The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just will power for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT).

The more I accept God’s control over my life, the more self-control he gives me!

I was thrilled to see the Paul Farmer segment on 60 Minutes a few minutes ago that highlighted Partners in Health and the work they do in Haiti (and in other countries). I read his book a few months ago, and have all the respect in the world for Paul and what he has accomplished.

Many have already weighed in — my vote is $24 per share.

You can take Fred’s poll here.