A dozen up-and-coming progressive activists convened at the beautiful C3 Center in Woonsocket this morning to talk about how to use blogging as part of their community-building work, and this reporter had the opportunity to share some of my experiences.

The workshop was one module in a multi-weekend institute, created by the New Leaders Council to train the next generation of activists. Institute sessions take place in 20 locations around the country, and the participants are engaged progressives looking to raise their game. Just take a look at the bios of the participants. Wikkid smaaht folks, all of them.

I was on a panel with Creusa Michelazzo (website, twitter) and Shandi Hanna (website, twitter) and had a blast. It was a great mix: Creusa runs a professional multi-cultural collaborative site, Shandi maintains a single-author personal perspective blog, and I brought some citizen-journalist insights. We had a wide-ranging discussion about what brought us into blogging, how to get started, leveraging low-cost tools, connecting with your readers, tagging and SEO, analytics, the RI blogosphere and its relationship with traditional media, building a personal brand, and the role of progressive voice. And it was really interactive — all those smart fellows asked good questions; the two hours flew by. Whew.

It is always energizing to spend time with a group of hip, engaged progressive folks, and it was a privilege to have the opportunity to be part of the session. Thanks to the NLC Rhode Island for the invite!

Oh, and if you're ever in Woonsocket, check out the C3 Center. It's a project of NeighborWorks Blackstone Valley, which converted an old mill building into a stunning community space with discounted housing for artists, educators, and entrepreneurs who commit to 16 hours per week of service to local programs.

Full disclosure: I received no compensation for participating in this training. I support progressive causes because it's the right thing to do.

RI Future's Brian Hull and David Segal of Demand Progress talk with attendees at the RI Blogosphere Party

Last night's Rhode Island Blogosphere post-holiday party rocked the The Salon in Providence, with more than 100 bloggers, politicos, and media folks kicking back and talking about the state of the world, online and off.

The big local news, of course, is the relaunch of Rhode Island's Future, the state's premier progressive blog, which was dormant most of last year. But with a spiffy redesigned site and a great collection of writing talent, RI Future looks poised to make a well-timed comeback.

Also on hand last night was an advance team from Netroots Nation, coming to town in June, and getting to know local bloggers and progressive activists. (Have you registered yet?)

It was night full of great conversations and the wonderful experience of meeting people IRL that you've been reading online (Hard to believe, in this small state, but true!) Great seeing you, everybody!