You're basically right that I don't collect any new issues, although I've decided to get Brave & the Bold purely on a whim, and I'll also get the Avengers Classic series. So in that sense I am uninformed, or perhaps uninitiated.

But I agree with what Samy said, that new readers have a different perspective, and I'd also say that perspective isn't hubris. If the trades all have Decimation in the title, that's a good reason to assume they're all part of a crossover. If not, why label them that way and then go out of your way explaining it away? Comics shouldn't be like a private club with its own special rules that readers have to figure out, as if they're pledging. And anyway, that still doesn't change the fact that there's like 4 new series there. It should be extremely easy for anyone to pick up a few titles and understand the lay of the land. It was that way back in the 80s. If Joe Q. really wants to increase market share, instead of just plateauing, they need to work on these marketing issues. I have no idea how responsible Joe Q. is for all this, but I don't hear too many signs that he's thinking about these things.