I’ve discovered some exceptional websites, over the last year in particular. Many made a real impact, for a number of reasons — creative design, compelling content, ease of navigation, etc. So here are a few of my “wows” for 2008.

1. alltop – What can I say. A great resource … the ultimate online magazine rack, that is constantly being updated. Browse away! (And, even if our blog wasn’t listed in their “Canada” collection, I’d still put alltop on this list.)

2. Poland’s A Commonwealth of Diverse Cultures – With 2008 being the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, why not take a look at the gorgeous site from The National Library of Poland: “A presentation of tolerance and cohabitation of various ethnic groups – Jewish, Armenian, Islamic, Lithuanian, German, French, Italian, Cyrillic – in the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.” The only slight drawback is that it may take a little time to load, but it’s worth it. Compelling historical content, art, video, audio … extraordinary.

3. The Big Picture – Boston.com has proved that photojournalism has a future…

and can thrive online…and in a big way. The image above really doesn’t make the case; but if you click on it, you might discover a new-found appreciation for your monitor (or, realize you need a new one) and for the journalists who document our world.

4. Ads of the World – Need a quick time out for a little advertising inspiration, international style? Curious to see how marketers market in different parts of the world? Print, Ambient, Outdoor, Direct Marketing, TV/Film, Radio, Online – it’s all there. Choose by geographic region or by industry.

5. NationMaster – “When stats come alive.” Ever wondered which country has the highest cinema attendance per capita? (It’s Iceland, beating out the U.S. which is #2). The country that produces the least amount of films? (Iceland again, 6 compared to India’s 946.) NationMaster is a rich and robust resource of data compiled from the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Along with finding world statistics about almost anything, this site also allows for country comparisons and features its own encyclopedia (well, Wikipedia), maps and graphs, forums, and a rich Education section complete with teacher lesson plans, a student area, and GeoLabs.

6. Forvo – Not sure how to pronounce a particular word of a language you don’t know? At Forvo, you can hear how words are pronounced in their original languages by native speakers; and, if you join (free) the site as a member, you can contribute your own pronunciations and rate and discuss the pronunciations of others. Over 170 languages are represented, and they’re still adding more. For Twitter users, you can receive updates on the languages they’re adding (by following @forvo).

And on that note,

7. Twitter – Ok, I admit it: I’m a bit of a late adopter on this one, given my day job – but I’m there nonetheless. Has it jumped the shark? Probably not quite yet; but, like any new platform/tool (toy?), it’s as good as how you use it. First rule of Twitter? No rules. Use it to receive breaking news, chat with friends, automatically feed your Facebook status or your blog posts, to ‘listen in’ and interact with some social media experts – Chris Brogan, Guy Kawasaki, and Robert Scoble have huge followings – or journalists, such as Peter Mansbridge, Saleem Khan, or Mathew Ingram, or all of the above. If you dip your toe in, beware, it can be a little addictive. Make of it what you will.

8. NFB.ca (Beta) – Canada’s National Film Board/Office National du Film recently launched a beta site for their Canadian documentary, animation and fiction. As of now, the site is still in testing, but the wealth of content is amazing complete with trailers, a blog, a weekly newsletter, RSS feeds, curated selections (including a “Canada’s Diverse Cultures” section) with chosen experts who provide recommendations and context, and accessibility features. A site worthy of our stories, and our collective pride.

Finally, in the spirit of the season, I’ll leave off with a bonus … a couple of ‘meaningful diversions’ … I think you’ll know what to do if you visit them:

• One Laptop per child
• Free Rice

For even more, you can check out my online bookmarks at delicious.com by clicking here … hopefully you’ll find some interesting sites, resources and online articles …

So, those are my Top 8 for 2008. What about you? Any sites that have caught your mouse, and your eye?