Hannah, perhaps I can shed a little more light on this, because I come with an opinion from both ends.

1. I absolutely love designing high-tech, high-detail, intricate websites. I'm very much into the fine details that bring a website design to life.

For example, I've not always been a fan of the company 2Advanced itself, but I've always appreciated their work, and the time and detail that goes into their work. That is the style that I've always been geared torwards.

Now, the more and more I've been designing for a 2.0 world, I've began developing an appreciation for that style as well. Most of our clients think we strike a perfect balance between the two styles as well.

- http://www.k2engineering.net
- (no one has seen this yet) http://www.avidinteractive.com/AI2008_Screen.png

Primarily, the focus on Web 2.0 is social interaction. That is to say...a website that interacts with the user, on the same level that a desktop application would. This drives the user to interact with the website in return, to develop one heck of an experience.

However, we're talking more about style than actual use in this topic. Although, the style of a "web 2.0" design relates very heavily in it's ease of use. Afterall, you're trying to get the user to interact with the site, therefore you must make it easy to use....obviously.

This accounts for the somewhat "stripped down" appearance of a web 2.0 site.

The Web 2.0 style in general is, basically, the internet moving in the same direction as other technology.

Let's take cellphones for example. People want a phone that is easy to use, and compact.

Web 2.0 style is geared in that same direction. "Get the information to the user quickly. Make the site compact and to the point, but still make it stylish and attractive, and above all, make it user-friendly."

You'll also find AJAX being used a lot in Web 2.0 sites. The reason for this, is to help bridge the gap between software and website. That is to say, make the site function and react more like an application, and therefore making the site's functionality and features more recognizable to the user. It allows the user to go in many directions on the site, without refreshing the page and/or losing their place like traditional links, etc.

As for the colors used in Web 2.0.... Generally, they are supposed to be colorful, and eye catching. While there is nothing wrong with webmaster who create "2.0" sites in bland black and white, I do believe that they're missing the point of "being creative"

Generally, 2.0 style "should" (but doesn't have to of course) make use of light pastel-ish colors, and minor highlights of bold colors, but colors that still pop when dimmed down to a pastel level.

Overall however, the Web 2.0 trend is bright glossy colors.

I don't know that your perspective is so much warped. I think your experience with the web 2.0 style is still new and fresh, coming from a more detailed oriented genre of design. I felt the same way you did at first, until I had a chance to have some fun with it, and mix the old style with the new.

I probably rambled enough for you to get something completely different than what I was talking about lol, I have that habit sometimes. In any case, I hope that I helped clear it up a little.