We have one recommendation above all others for organizations that want to bring their audiences/communities into the journalism process:

Take risks.

In the Internet Age, it's easy -- and relatively inexpensive -- to try new ideas. The cost of failure is low for any individual experiment.

Don't merely tolerate risk-taking in the newsroom and on the business side of the operation. Embrace it, and the fact that failure is part of risk-taking.

With that, some specifics:

• Make technological flexibility a priority. Favor experimentation and iteration over roadmaps and grand strategy.
• Don't settle for a site that is "frozen" when outside consultants leave.  
• Avoid building one-off technology platforms. Especially avoid letting consultants build a one-off website based on a requirements document. It's worth the time and effort to investigate the solutions that already exist.  
• When evaluating technology solutions, consider the size of the developer community. How many people are available to make changes or create new features for your site?  Some open-source software tools have large developer communities that will be available for hire inexpensively on a contract basis, enabling you to make changes rapidly and inexpensively.
• Future-proof your site by learning about formats and standards. A site that incorporates standards such as RSS, and is extensible using popular and widely-known scripting languages such as Perl or PHP, will be easier to extend.
• An iterative approach -- trying things and fixing what doesn’t work -- is more appropriate to the Web than a Grand Strategy that takes forever to launch. Try out new features; watch how community members use them; and use these as inspiration for additions and changes.

Approach community building with confidence, teamwork, and appropriate expectations.

• Confidence:  Building an online community requires a different tone and approach than a traditional news site: personality, humor, and authenticity are key.  
• Teamwork: Community sites have a better chance of success if staffers throughout the newsroom and the organization use them rather than being the province of a small "community team" that has little or no contact with the newsroom.
• Expand your team beyond your staff, and even beyond your site. For example, reward local bloggers who link to your site just as much as you reward readers who contribute to your site directly. Consider growing the "ecosystem" of local sites that link to yours as part of your mission.
• Expectations of Contributors:  Don't expect nonjournalists to feel comfortable taking on the role of journalist.  While some contributors may be eager to write a "story," others will want to share lived experiences.  Finding ways to accommodate, encourage, and learn from contributors is key to success.
• Expectations About Growth: Communities are organic. They grow through the web-equivalent of word of mouth.  Expect a significant period of time – as much as six months, maybe much more – before a community gains a life of its own. (If things aren't working a year after you start, however, it's definitely time to reconsider your approach.)