Excellent tips on engaging your community.  People love to hear stories and feel involved with the storyline somehow.  A master storyteller can craft his tale to lead the listener to just about anywhere he would like to take them.

I remember my old Sales Manager, Tom Pytel,  that I used to love calling to my table when I was selling timeshare.   All I had to do was tell him where my client's dream vacation would be and their main objections.  Tom would come over with one of his many photo albums filled with pictures of that vacation spot and begin telling his story about this exciting / romantic/ relaxing time spent there. (whatever emotion they related to). He would engage all 5 senses - the smell of the ocean, the warm sand, taste of the fresh seafood they had for dinner, etc.

By the time he was done with his story the clients were already standing on the beach with him in their minds, he had overcome each objection without ever calling it out, the sale was made, and the client thought they had just met the guy that really understood everything about their vacation dreams. 

You would have thought Tom had been everywhere in the world with so many stories, but many times he was able to tell a third party story or had studied the vacation spots so much that he knew every fine detail. Tom's closing ratio held steady at 89%.  THAT is a master storyteller and the power of storytelling.

With practice I'm sure the same tactics can be used in blogging, engaged conversations on social networks, or to "sell" a potential attendee on your event atmosphere (emotion) and take-aways (benefits).