(Names are changed to protect us):

Dear Michael:

I LOVE the site, but I've never seen one with both blogs and forums.  Isn't that kind of redundant?

What's the Point?

Dear Point:

The purpose of a blog is for someone to post things along a certain theme.  Think of it as writing an article, or a long letter to a family member.  You're going to spend a little time on it, making sure it looks nice, that the point is clear, that you really were as funny as you thought you were when you first wrote it...

The purpose of a forum is more to have a running conversation.  You don't plan it out, or think it through as much.  The comments are more toss-away in nature and deal with answering a question or making a specific point.

There are some people who do not want to invest the time in a blog, and there are others who do not enjoy making quick comments in answer to issues.  So both have different purposes and serve different functions for different people.