Facebook versus Twitter – OpenSource Conversations?

Okay, I finally found something cool about Twitter that Facebook lacks. Public access.

Facebook has all sorts of awesome privacy options, but there’s no way to have my status updates shared with everyone, which is what Twitter allows. Even unauthenticated users can see my Twitter updates. So there is a difference after all. It’s like Instant Messaging, but everyone can see it and jump in whenever they want.

If I wanted to come up with some kind of gimmicky Web 2.0 buzzword for it, I might go with “OpenSource Conversations.” And if I were really shameless, I’d go back and stick it in the title of this post.

What I can’t decide is if Facebook should go in this direction. It’s definitely very close to what they offer. On the other hand, part of what makes Facebook be Facebook is that it’s all about your friends and not so much about how much attention you can get from complete strangers.

I’m curious what other users of both services think. Do you use both Facebook and Twitter? What unique aspect(s) of Twitter do you find appealing?