Social media strategists, Mike Street and Dupé Ajayi have joined forces to launchInfluential1s.com, a website dedicated to paying “tribute to the many un-recognized influencers in the urban space.” Drawing on W.E.B. DuBois’ essay “The Talented Tenth” and a focus on social media, Influential 1′s highlights blacks in the social media space that help shape the conversation online in a meaningful, productive fashion.

Officially launched on January 11, the  inaugural entry lists “The Starting Class of 2011″ which includes a number of  social media heavy-hitters including Lynne d Johnson, Baratunde Thurston,  Farai Chideya, and Kevin Powell. According to Ajayi,“Social media plays host to a wealth of valuable information. How can anyone decipher it all to yield that which is most relevant to them? These 11 have risen to the top with doing  just that; filtering the noise so that people get what is most important to them in the most succinct way while peppering in dashing of their distinct personalities. They are ‘Heroes of the Web’.”

In addition to Influential 1′s choices, site visitors have the ability to nominate social media mavens they feel should be included to the list. The list will be maintained and updated on a regular basis that can serve as a directory of sorts for recognizing the early adapters helping to shape the way African Americans engage social media and other technologies.

What are your initial impressions of Influential 1′s? Who would you include on the list? Share your thoughts in the comments section.