Hidden ideas, hidden names and anonymous collections

There are four ways something can be hidden in Hives. You can hide your own idea from other members, a collection can hide contributors’ names, a collection can save ideas anonymously, and a step can hide the ideas that sit in it. Each one hides something different from different people.

The four ways at a glance

What is hidden	Who turns it on	Who can still see it
Your idea, when you tick Hide from other members	You, when you submit (only if the collection allows it)	You and any other contributors, assignees, collection managers, Admins, and the panel and reviewer of the step the idea is in now
Your name, on a collection with Hide contributor names	The collection managers	Only you. Not the collection managers, not Admins.
Your name, on a collection with Save contributions anonymously	The collection managers	Nobody. Your name is never stored with the idea.
Ideas in a step with Hide ideas while in…	The collection managers	Contributors, assignees, collection managers, Admins, and that step’s panel and reviewer

An eye icon with a line through it appears next to the title of an idea that is hidden from ordinary members. Hover over it to see why.

Hiding your own idea from other members

Some collections let you keep your idea out of sight for other members. When this is allowed, a Hide from other members box appears at the bottom of the form, with the note Only visible to contributors, assignees and managers.

Open the collection and click Contribute.
Fill in the form.
Tick Hide from other members.
Submit your idea.

Who still sees a hidden idea:

you, and anyone added as a contributor on the idea
assignees (people the collection managers have made responsible for the idea)
collection managers and Admins
the panel and reviewer of the step the idea is in now. A panel is a group of people chosen to review ideas at a step.

You can’t change this choice after submitting. If you want your idea hidden or visible later, ask a collection manager. See Hiding, unhiding and deleting ideas.

If you don’t see the box, the collection does not allow hidden ideas.

Collections that hide contributor names

When a collection has Hide contributor names turned on, your idea is still linked to you, but your name is not shown to anyone else. That includes the collection managers and Admins. Your name is also left out of exports.

What this means for you:

You can still find, edit and follow your idea as normal.
You still get notifications about it.
When you comment on your own idea, other people see your name as Submitter.

Anonymous collections

When a collection has Save contributions anonymously turned on, nothing linking you to the idea is stored. The idea shows Anonymous.

Because Hives does not know the idea is yours:

you can’t edit or delete it
you don’t get notifications about it
it does not appear on your profile

Good to know: On an anonymous collection, once you submit, nobody can trace the idea back to you, and you can’t change it. Read your idea through before you submit.

Ideas hidden while they are in a step

Collection managers can hide every idea that sits in a certain step, including the Inbox (the first stop for every new idea). This is often used while ideas are being reviewed. While an idea is in that step, ordinary members don’t see it. Once it moves to a step that is not hidden, everyone who can see the collection sees it again.

Contributors, assignees, collection managers, Admins and that step’s panel and reviewer can always see it.

Common questions

Can Admins see who submitted an idea on a collection that hides names? No. Only the person who submitted it sees their own name.

Can I tell before submitting whether a collection is anonymous? On an anonymous collection, ideas from other people show Anonymous instead of a name. If you are unsure, ask a collection manager.

Do people who visit a share link see hidden ideas? No. Share-link visitors only see ideas that every member could see. See Submitting an idea through a share link.