How necessary is a blog IYO?

I use blogs and forums myself, but more often than not I am scratching my head wondering if it is even worth doing. Sure, some readers find it, some stick around and read stuff, but i rarely see them click on much else other than just the thing they found on google, then poof... theyre gone. Yea, the type of content matters, I get it, but they are niche sites.. most people going to them just want one question answered, they google it, read it, and leave.

running both at the same time is a pita.

If you had to choose one over the other... forum, or blog, which would you chose and why?

Necessary from what perspective? It depends entirely upon your goal.

If your goal is to have people reading your blog, then you clearly need a blog.
If your goal is to sell widgets to middle aged accountants in Bulgaria, you might not need a blog at all.

I guess in terms of user engagement, and to retain visitors outside of social media.

HiImHell said:

I guess in terms of user engagement, and to retain visitors outside of social media.

Click to expand...

Sure, but 'engagement' for what purpose?

I think that answers my question, lol