I think that last point is an important one.

There have been a couple of occasions when things have appeared and it's been obvious that discussion has gone on elsewhere. I assumed that was 'behind closed doors' stuff, but I suspect now it was stuff that had been debated in email. I wouldn't call it a 'shock' but a bitty of a surprise.

To be absolutely honest, I wasn't even aware that there was a specific email-list for community issues. (I thought the mailing lists were mostly for the complicated stuff I don't understand.) I should probably be on it (despite my aversion to mailing lists!) as my primary interest is the community and keeping it running smoothly. But for many of us raised for years on bulletin boards, this is the 'obvious' method. I'd wager a shilling that most of the thousands of new posters have no idea that there's a mailing list.