1. Decentralized (public ledger/no one entity owns it etc)
2. Anonymity
3. Instant payment (Zero transaction fees*/worldwide support etc)
4. Ease of payment (or not so easy for non-tech savvy due to added learning curve (http://suitpossum.blogspot.in/2013/04/how-to-explain-bitcoin-to-your.html)
5. Deflationary in nature (hoarding)
6. Not regulated (yet)
7. Possibility of tainting coins
I'm pretty sure a lot of us in the community (who are bit by the bitcoin bug) are following Bitcoin related news pretty much daily, be it startups that have begun to accept this currency or media outlets that publish completely misleading/FUD information about Bitcoin. However, personally, I hardly come across articles/blogs that actually go deep and try to address issues that many of us are possibly not looking into (a good example of one such article: http://lifeboat.com/blog/2013/04/bitcoins-dystopian-future).
Irrespective of what some might say, we know that, in the near future, decentralized currencies are going to replace (or possibly parallel) existing financial systems as we know them. I want to know what feature(s) does the community deem necessary for Bitcoin and what feature(s) the community thinks can be compromised. In short, I would like the community to articulate/debate the strengths and weaknesses of decentralized currencies like Bitcoin (would be great if you can come up with scenarios that support your arguments, similar to the article above). This would be a fun exercise and possibly might also increase one's awareness in the process.
[EDIT: Corrected the title]