IT IS estimated that more than 70 per cent of all households in Bermuda have access to the Internet. So it makes sense to tap into this relatively untouched market by offering up-to-date news and information online, which is exactly what Bermuda Network News has done.Launched in October last year by MediaCom, the website plans to change the way people access information about Bermuda.

The Mid-Ocean News’ Tricia Walters this week met with the Bermuda Network News team to find out how they managed to go from being virtually unknown, to getting 75,000 hits a month.

BNB president Walton Brown and managing editor, Christen Pears explain that they aim to become the island’s premier news and information website by providing up-to-the-minute news coverage and in-depth magazine features.Mr. Brown explains: “I thought there was a need for information to be made available to people, in a timely and easily-accessible manner, both here and to those based overseas.”

He says the Internet is the ideal tool for making news and information more readily available to a large number of people, both here and abroad, and is by far more cost-effective than print media.

Bermuda Network News has a close working relationship with Bermuda Broadcasting’s television and radio stations, which provides the website with the latest news - giving visitors to the site access to the headlines before anyone else.

However, the team, which Mr. Brown hopes will expand to include more journalists in the future, also provide news content to the site that is updated several times a day, thus ensuring the news is always fresh.

Over the next few months the website will expand to include in-depth magazine type articles on politics, business and the economy, the legal sector, arts and entertainment and the community, while a profile section lists up to 150 business, community and Government leaders and has proven popular with online readers.

“Bermuda has so many people who come here on business that we developed this profile section to provide information to prospective business clients to find out about the people they will meet,” Mr. Brown explains.

“But it’s also a research tool for people who want to find out about various personalities, and again having it online makes it so much more accessible.”

Companies, Government and other organisations are also using the website to “publish” their press releases in full - literally within minutes of being released.

A unique aspect of the website not found at any other of Bermuda on-line news portals, is the posting of in-depth poll results, thanks to Research Innovations Limited, a company also owned by Mr. Brown.

While a number of websites do post poll results, Mr. Brown believes these are not always scientifically-generated.

“Our results are different because they are scientifically generated and therefore more accurately reflect what is going on in the community,” he adds.

How do they know they are doing well? Ms Pears says by the number of hits they get, but also from feedback.

She encourages the public to continue sending feedback as this will help them expand according to what the public needs and wants.

As for advertising, Bermuda Network News’ manager of sales and marketing, Kelli Miller explains there is a lot of interest in advertising online because it’s something new: “It’s growing and one of the reasons is because the rates are so much more affordable than print and radio. But also, there is a whole new generation that lives, eats and breathes on the web and that’s the way of the future in getting your product exposed.”

Bermuda Network News recently launched a mobile version of their site for CellularOne customers, enabling them to access news and information on-the-go with the ircell phones or PDAs.

While there are also major plans afoot for the inclusion of an online restaurant guide and events calendar, Ms Pears feels the addition of video clips will boost the site’s popularity.

This will include footage from press conferences and interviews.

The clean, modern look and user friendly page layout was created by one of Bermuda’s leading website designers, David Wellman, who is currently working to optimise the website’s search engine.

What about the site as a research tool? Mr. Brown plans to include detailed Bermuda bibliography, listing over 400 Bermuda-related books, quarterlies and articles which will prove invaluable to anyone doing research about the island.

He explains that students researching any aspect of the island’s history can find out exactly what books or articles they have to access at the Bermuda National Library.

He smiles when asked about the site’s popularity: “You couldn’t find us on Google or Yahoo in October and today if you search ‘Bermuda news’ you will find us on page two and that’s testimony to the tremendous growth we’ve experienced and also the recognition of our site as a content-driven site.

“Our aim is to get to page one and stay there.”