Every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern, Jeff De Cagna (@pinnovation) — or an occasional guest facilitator — leads an hour-long Twitter chat about hot topics in the world of associations.

The launch of Association Chat’s new blog, just this morning, makes it easier than ever for association folks using Twitter to connect with their colleagues, or just follow the conversation and stay in the news loop.

If you’re active in an association, there are several ways you can get involved with the #assnchat Twitter "think tank" gang:

• Follow @associationchat on Twitter.

• Visit the new blog at http://associationchat.posterous.com.

Grab the RSS feed to get updates in your feed reader of choice, or one-click subscribe to the blog in your Posterous account, if you have one.

• Track the #assnchat hashtag.

See our Introduction to Twitter Hashtags for more information on what hashtags are for and how you can use them to follow conversations of interest.

• Participate in the weekly #assnchat in real time.

Kiki L’Italien’s short YouTube video gives clear and specific instructions for using Tweetchat to take part easily in a Twitter chat.

An Idea for Other Types of Non-profits to Explore?

If your non-profit operates in a different sphere, and association chat doesn’t turn your crank — still, do have a look at how the association folks have made it easy for Twitter users to connect (chat, Twitter alias, hashtag) and are now extending the reach from Twitter to the wider Web via a free (social) microblog at Posterous.com…

Could your own organization and its chapters (or a network of nonprofits that share a common cause) get together to do something similar, to help amplify your own online message?