“Girl sites that don’t fake it” is the mantra for ChickClick.com, an edgy alternative to mainstream women’s cyber-communities, such as iVillage.com and The Oxygen Network.

Sisters Heidi and Heather Swanson, both in their 20s, launched ChickClick in 1998. The San Fransisco based Web portal has since expanded to suit a wide range of female Web surfers, from the newbie to the savvy Webmistress.

ChickClick keeps growing. In the past year alone, the number of unique viewers has jumped over 60 percent, making the site bigger than iVillage, according to Lisa Schottenfeld, director of audience development.

Schottenfeld attributes the appeal of ChickClick to the attitude of the site.

“Truly we’re speaking in a way that people aren’t used to being spoken to in the media,” Schottenfeld said.

About 40 sister sites currently carry the ChickClick seal of approval, such as Bust, a Webzine that carries an unedited rant by Courtney Love, GreaserGrrls, a site about females in motorcycle and auto racing, and Hissyfit, a rant magazine that uses the phrases “anal leakage” and “gastric napalm.”

With attitude that’s best described as anti-Cosmo, Fashion-Icon.com suggests creating fake hickeys with theatrical bruising makeup to improve your “edge” quotient.

A favorite stop of ChickClickers is Disgruntled Housewife. Highlights include the Disgruntled Housewife’s tips for working (or at least looking like you’re working) and a delectable recipe for Frito Pie, served right out of the bag the corn chips come in.

The irreverent and honest attitude of the site makes it a refreshing alternative to annoyingly perky teen sites, or the predictable women’s sites aimed at middle-aged soccer moms.

“Though our target demographic is women ages 13 to 30, we’re also hitting an underdeveloped age bracket of 18 to 25,” Schottenfeld said. “We also offer several free tools, like homepages, e-mail accounts and voice mail.”

Despite the name, the site isn’t a Girls Only club.

“I think our voice itself speaks to both men and women. Both men and women like to socialize and everyone’s interested in how to have a great party or how to make a great drink,” Schottenfeld said.

Entertainment news is covered daily through their StarChick channel and shopping deals are offered to members through ChickShops.

Currently, the site is developing its own music channel called “ChickRadio.”

“‘ChickRadio’ is one of the coolest things we’re doing right now,” Schottenfeld said. “A syndicated radio show will air in 40 markets on Sunday nights and we’re trying to get it aired on our site. A contest is being held to find the host (or “Chick Jockey”) of the show.”

Web surfers can check out the site at www.chickclick.com.