Adding content to sections of the site other than the forum

Have any of you dealt with add-ons or built content in a section that is/feels "outside" or "separate" from the forum? For example, I feel like vB's social groups always felt separate from the forum, which decreased its usage. For such sections, have you found that they're less active than the forum itself, or perhaps that they're more popular and take attention away from the forum?

 

I use vBulletin's publishing suit - so I have a CMS system. I don't use the groups section, though, but my members used to use them.

 

How active are those sections? For example, I've noticed that the blogs and social groups are both very low in activity (and quality posts when they are there ); just curious to know if it was the same for others.

 

Yea, the blogs here haven't been used much since I added them, but I still find it handy.