Yes, this is new.
@lerting the post owner in a comment is not necessary. If comments are only between you and the post-owner, and nobody else is commenting, then an @lert to the post owner at the beginning of a comment will be removed.
If you mean comments under this answer, since you're the only commenter, the answerer is notified automatically an @username is not needed, so it is automatically removed.
The following meta post has been incorrectly closed as a duplicate: https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/32598/help-with-asking-a-question-my-closed-questions-and-my-experience-with-the-site While I'm not necessarily super enthusiastic about spending time to answer these this question, to have it closed as a duplicate of the reopen requests thread when it's about feedback on question writing/asking seems inappropriate to me.
@KReiser I have mixed feelings about that question, and have gone back and forth on it since it was posted. Yes, the user is asking for feedback, but this is the kind of feedback which should be sought by responding to comments under and answer.
I mean, if every user created a new meta question when a question of their's was closed, meta would cease to be useful. :\
@XanderHenderson I agree that the question does not really spark joy and that every user posting on meta when their question was closed would harm meta's usability. But it seems to me like if it's going to be closed as a duplicate, the duplicate (or duplicates) should address both aspects of the post: "I want this reopened" and "how can I get help on asking a question". Currently the duplicate list doesn't do that.
I can add the "How to ask a good question" to the dupe list. :)
Of course, the fact that there are two distinct questions there (1. please reopen and 2. what did I do wrong?) indicates that the question is not narrowly enough focused.