These tips are based on our experience with the Connections E-Mentoring program and from the following resources:

• Brainard, S. G., A Curriculum for Training Mentors & Mentees, WEPAN Western Regional Center, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1998.
• MentorNet. A Guide for Mentors. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on August 1, 1999 from http://www.mentornet.net/Documents/Mentors/mtraining.html.

• Sending Email to Your Group
• Introduce Yourself
• First Messages
• Stimulate Initial Responses and Make It a Habit
• When There Is a Lull in the Conversation
• Personal Information
• Education
• Set the Theme of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Email is sent to all of the members in your E-Mentoring group using an email alias system. Each group has a two-digit number (71) and the email address for that group is ementor71@connections.coe.neu.edu, for example. (PLEASE NOTE: your group e-mail address will be sent to you and will differ from the example.) We routinely update and revise email addresses. Using the email alias guarantees that each group member receives your email. Replying to an email will send your response only to the individual who sent you the message. You will need to retype the group address when sending/ replying to email.

E-Mentor Central gives the students in your group very basic information - your name, position, and employer. They have the same amount of information about each other - name, school, and grade. Tell your mentees how you want them to address you (first name, nickname, surname, or title). Give them enough information about yourself to help them to get to know you.

Tell your group members about your present position. Describe what you do on your job. Tell them what you like most about your work. Describe where you are on your own career path. Ask where they are in school or college. Ask about after-school or other group activities such as SWE, Girl Scouts, or athletics.

Encourage your group members to share information about themselves that will help you get to know them and each other. Consistency is the key to establishing good relationships. The most successful E-Mentoring groups communicate throughout the week.

There may be times when your E-Mentoring conversations become less frequent than you'd like. When this happens, it may be because the students are very busy that week, and not necessarily because they have lost interest in the E-Mentoring program. As a mentor, you should routinely send email to your group to spark conversation. If you are frustrated by a lack of response, please send an email to ementor@connections.coe.neu.edu and we can try to contact the students in your group to help keep conversation flowing.

It's great to include information about family, friends, and groups you and the students may be involved with. It's also helpful to share interests and hobbies, to get to know each other better. Share only what you are comfortable with and ask the students to do the same.

Ask the students in your group where they are in their education, and what plans they have for further education, if any. Continue a conversation about courses, programs, and academic options. Describing your own educational experience is a great way to start this conversation.

Encourage conversations related to themes of interest to the students and related to girls and women in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering.