William R. Storie & Co. Ltd. (WRS), an insurance consulting firm which has produced a Bermuda business newsletter since 1993, now distributes the information on the Internet, the company reported yesterday.

WRS, which has produced a newsletter about Bermuda business since 1993, renamed it BerBiz and now sends it to a large database of contacts primarily in the US, Canada, and the UK.

BerBiz will be sent into cyberspace monthly while the old newsletter was produced quarterly.

"WRS uses BerBiz to inform the business world about events in Bermuda's international business sector,'' said Ms Stephanie Smith, vice president of WRS.

Prior to sending BerBiz into cyberspace WRS mailed about 1,200 copies of its newsletter predecessor.

"We are also issuing information and research papers over the Internet. We wrote and issued two papers on the impact of the Barings collapse on offshore financial domiciles,'' added Ms Smith.

The commentaries are among a list of publications WRS has included in its Internet home page information.

The firm chose to use the home page -- which displays a corporate brochure about WRS through the Internet computer network -- because it provides access to new potential clients and promotes the Island, according to Mr. William Storie, president of WRS.

Having a home page on the Internet will be useful as a "marketing tool'' and to "promote Bermuda'', he added.

Their home page gives the firm's name and address, information about the services they provide, and a list of documents -- like the two commentaries on Barings -- information superhighway surfers can access.

Their page concludes with an invitation to sign their guest book.

US Vice President Al Gore is among those who have seen the WRS's home page and signed in.

"We did prompt Mr. Gore by calling and speaking to his secretary,'' noted Mr.

Storie.

"One other service we are providing is a preferred venders' list. We have always recommended other Bermuda service providers to our contacts overseas and now we offer the list through our private mailing contacts over the Internet,'' added Ms Smith.

WRS is the fourth commercial Bermuda business to have a home page on the Internet.

Mr. Greg Hartley, president of Under Sea Adventures Ltd. (USA) helmet diving business, and the most recent Bermuda business to have a home page on the Internet, said his business wanted to get the word out about helmet diving.

"Helmet diving is an unusual activity and many people have not even heard of it,'' he said.

"This is a great way to reach 35 million people (at last count the estimated number of computer users on the Internet),'' he added.

Businesses with home pages can determine how many times individuals have accesses their pages, referred to as "hits''.

Other commercial subscribers in Bermuda include; the Royal Palms Hotel and Oxford Guest House while the first commercial subscriber was Internet Bermuda Ltd. (IBL).

The Bermuda College, as well as the Bermuda Biological Station, also have home pages on the Internet.

Though there are only five Bermuda businesses with home pages set up the number is poised "to explode'', said Mr. Tony Harriott, IBL internetworking manager.

He estimated there are about 1,000 Bermuda Internet subscribers.

NEWSLETTER ON THE NET -- Mr. William Storie, president of William R. Storie & Co. Ltd., left, and Ms Stephanie Smith, vice president, have transformed their newsletter and renamed it BerBiz. The former was mailed to a list of contacts while the new version is delivered via the Internet.