ABSTRACT
Web-based mentoring, online mentoring, telementoring, or e-mentoring: call it what you will, the Web is transforming mentor-protégé relationships. Since the time of Odysseus, the mentor-protégé relationship has been described as a close association between individuals that allows them to learn from each other. Mentoring involves an experienced individual (mentor) who promotes the career development and professional advancement of a junior colleague (protégé) by providing psychosocial, role modeling, and vocational support functions. The setting and pursuit of goals for personal and professional development is an important element in the transfer of learning in mentor-protégé relationships, and mentors often offer feedback and information to help the protégés attain their goals. The purpose of this chapter is to describe what e-mentoring is, create an e-mentoring typology based on the computer-mediated communication (CMC) literature, describe the levels of developmental support offered within the CMC environment, and discuss the benefits and potential challenges associated with e-mentoring. Anecdotal evidence gathered from many e-mentoring sites will be used to illustrate e-mentoring relationships. Since e-mentoring is a new avenue by which individuals are transforming their careers via the Internet, an investigation of this phenomenon is warranted..
