Actually, the more I think about this, here is a great idea for:
Combine that with @Tim87’s suggestion for a news reader, and you can get updates through the launcher - sent to whatever application you’re currently in (or even straight to desktop) - and choose to subscribe to the “official” release/update/bug tracker feed - as well as any others that you are interested in.
Isn’t the Network all about individual choice anyways? No need to send unsolicited messages, that’s just rude!