So I have just noticed that the background and description and notes sections of my character sheets are not visible to people viewing my character sheets via a shared link.  Why is this? If I am sharing a character because I want help building it or because I want my DM to be able to look at my character that I plan to use, then I need the entire character sheet to be visible and not just the stats and race and stuff.

Why does the share link only share a stripped down sheet?

I can understand that there are situations you might not want other players to see your full character history or whatever but this could be solved by having an on/off switch for making your backstory/description/notes public or by simply having two links.  One for your full sheet, to share with your DM or whoever and one for a stripped down sheet for sharing with your fellow players or on social media

The revised character sheet initially launched with everything visible.  Some folks (who did not want to share their backstory with other party members) complained/voiced their opinion and it was changed to the current system.  I believe they may be looking at a more granular sharing in the future, may be a question for the next Dev Update in a couple of weeks time

" the next Dev Update in a couple of weeks time" dated 3/0/2017.  Needless to say it doesn't seem like this will ever change.

I find it odd that people are that sensitive about their PC backstory. So much so that they don't want to have anybody see it except for the GM. I suppose I don't come up with characters that are so secretive or traumatized that I don't want to share. 

With all the descriptors locked out you also have to go through the trouble of telling everybody (possibly more than once) what your PC looks like and how they come across to the public.

Quote from Wysperra >>

I find it odd that people are that sensitive about their PC backstory. So much so that they don't want to have anybody see it except for the GM. I suppose I don't come up with characters that are so secretive or traumatized that I don't want to share. 

With all the descriptors locked out you also have to go through the trouble of telling everybody (possibly more than once) what your PC looks like and how they come across to the public.

 I have played in several games where the player and dm made some amazing group role playing with hidden info that was on the character sheets, could they have used other tools, sure but it worked well and the whole group thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see it's usefulness as well as the frustration for those that are interested in the pc's in the group.

In my opinion and the one that has provided the best RP in my own personal experience, is to not hide information from the players, but the characters. Players are usually pretty cool about playing along and some might even try to help by taking an active interest in the reveal. From what I have seen in my limited experience, tricking the players or hiding things from them gets a very anticlimactic response. I can even see how it can cause friction.

It is definitely going to be group and motivation dependant, but that can be said about many aspects of the game. It is not the tool, just how it is used.

Quote from kayakingpoodle >>

It is definitely going to be group and motivation dependant, but that can be said about many aspects of the game. It is not the tool, just how it is used.

 Oh, this is very true. I think this might be the biggest factor in determining how it plays out. Look at CR as an example on how hiding things from the players is often well-received (Scanlan revealing his extreme frustrations with the party and leaving being the only exception I can think of). They have known each other for years and all love and trust each other implicitly. Someone will reveal some secret they have sat on for a year of play and everyone's mind is blown and smiles all around. It definitely can be done well and received well for sure.