If you have never checked out the web site BermyNET.com, you should know that you are probably not even half as hip as you think you are.

The locally run entertainment site is the so popular it is drawing roughly 1,000 hits a day from those in search of music, fashion, fun and what's happening around the Island. The site is also packed with photos of Bermudians at play which are updated weekly according to its creator -- 21-year-old Brenton Richardson.

Mr. Richardson said he started the site, unofficially in November 1999 but at first it was primarily limited to photos. The site drew so much attention, that Richardson knew he was on to something that could be much bigger and officially launched BermyNET.com on January 1, 2000.

"I was there at noon with my finger on the trigger,'' he said.

Now the site includes legal and financial advice, community discussions, music and music reviews, tech talk and even fashion advice. This week's fashion focus was Foundation 101 -- the ins and outs of underwear. "You should have enough drawers in your drawers to go at least three (yes, three) weeks without doing laundry,'' writes the resident fashion guru, Mah. Mr. Richardson said the site now has a team of five photographers and seven writers. "It's a real team effort,'' he said.

In addition to devoted followers the site has also already achieved acclaim.

The Bermudian magazine honoured it with a Bermuda Gold award for best local website last summer. Mr. Richardson pointed out that a new category was created in order to give the site the award. "Now that's something,'' he said.

While he originally funded the site out of his own pocket, BermyNET.com is now starting to attract sponsors such as Cellular One and BIBA. "They're starting to throw some chips my way,'' said Mr. Richardson.

With his job at Bermuda Web Solutions paying the bills, he maintains the site mainly as a labour of love.

At the moment, he's trying to expand the site's popularity to wider segments of the community. At present it is most popular with young people but Richardson wants it to draw in different segments.

Ultimately, he said he'd like to see it grow to more of a community site like AOL. "I see a BOL -- Bermuda On-Line,'' he said, with people keeping the site up constantly to receive news and information.

Mr. Richardson said he didn't really plan to leave college to take on web design. "I was always a computer nerd,'' he said.

After designing his first site while at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama he found his passion however.

Mr. Richardson said he had planned to return to college after a summer job at the Bank of Butterfield. But the summer job turned into a full-time job bringing the bank's Internet system on-line. And then he decided to branch out even further. He joined the Bermuda Web Solutions partnership and continues to expand on BermyNET.com.

"It all just kind of snowballed,'' he said.

Brenton Richardson Hits galore: A snapshot of Brenton Richardson's popular website.