# Invisible topics are not invisible
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719
**Category:** Feature
**Created:** [2014年四月12日 13:45 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719 "2014-04-12T13:45:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TechnoBear](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TechnoBear)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 13:45 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/1 "2014-04-12T13:45:48Z")
Posts in invisible threads are still visible in the member’s profile, providing a link to the “invisible” topic freely accessible to all, whether logged in or not, like search engines …
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### Author:  [@trident](https://meta.discourse.org/u/trident)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 14:23 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/2 "2014-04-12T14:23:21Z")
This happens to me too. I’m not sure it’s quite a “bug” though; as it is true that the topic will not be displayed in topic lists just as the help text says. Should these topics be completely hidden from all activity views though?
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### Author:  [@TechnoBear](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TechnoBear)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 14:33 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/3 "2014-04-12T14:33:41Z")
True - but in that case it would perhaps be better to rename it “not listed” rather than “invisible”. Invisible does seem to imply that the thread can’t be found by chance, while in fact it can.
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 22:06 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/4 "2014-04-12T22:06:48Z")
Definitely sounds like a bug to me, as I can’t imagine that is the intended result.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 22:15 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/5 "2014-04-12T22:15:05Z")
This is not a bug, open to renaming it to “not listed” or “unlisted” … we can not use “hidden” cause hidden posts are … completely hidden.
Totally agree that it is confusing the “hidden” is more “hidden” than “invisible”
cc @codinghorror
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### Author:  [@cpradio](https://meta.discourse.org/u/cpradio)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 22:17 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/6 "2014-04-12T22:17:27Z")
So what is the purpose of having invisible and hidden? I’m a bit baffled at the two as they sound the same. I also don’t understand why you would hide a post in a topic, but allow it to be accessible from else where? If you are removing it from the conversation why is it viewable in other locations?
I just don’t get it.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2014年四月12日 22:34 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/7 "2014-04-12T22:34:08Z")
Invisible state on topic has absolutely no relation to hidden state for posts.
You would make a topic invisible while gathering feedback from a few select people.
That said, the original post here is a bug. Invisible topics should be hidden from profiles.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2014年四月13日 00:07 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/8 "2014-04-13T00:07:23Z")
It depends how you define invisible, in this case it means “invisible from topic lists”. That was always the original intent. It is really correct as intended, this is like “sinking” a discussion to get people to stop arguing, except that they can see you did it..
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### Author:  [@TechnoBear](https://meta.discourse.org/u/TechnoBear)
#### Post date: [2014年四月13日 08:18 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/9 "2014-04-13T08:18:30Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> we can not use “hidden” cause hidden posts are … completely hidden.
Not at the moment they’re not. They’re fully visible with JS off, and can be revealed by linking or quoting.
[https://meta.discourse.org/t/flagged-content-can-be-shown/14688](https://meta.discourse.org/t/flagged-content-can-be-shown/14688)
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2014年四月13日 09:43 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/10 "2014-04-13T09:43:48Z")
> [@TechnoBear](#):
>
> Not at the moment they’re not. They’re fully visible with JS off, and can be revealed by linking or quoting.
Bugs, that we should sort out.
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### Author:  [@HAWK](https://meta.discourse.org/u/HAWK)
#### Post date: [2014年四月13日 22:50 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/11 "2014-04-13T22:50:32Z")
> [@sam](#):
>
> Bugs, that we should sort out.
Do we need to log them in the bugs category or are you on it?
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [2014年四月13日 23:54 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/12 "2014-04-13T23:54:50Z")
Its already logged there 🙂 @neil will be looking at it this week.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2014年十月11日 02:04 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/13 "2014-10-11T02:04:04Z")
We changed the name of this to unlisted, to better reflect the way it actually works.
And I believe @sam changed the user page behavior too.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [2014年十月11日 02:04 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/invisible-topics-are-not-invisible/14719/14 "2014-10-11T02:04:36Z")