Wikipedia:Mentorship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mentorship is an arrangement, either voluntary or involuntary, in which one user assists another user, the protégé. Depending on the nature of the mentorship agreement, the mentor may give the protégé advice on more effective editing habits, help the protégé resolve disputes and act as an advocate for the protégé. When mentorship arises as an outcome of the dispute resolution process, the mentor has formal supervisory powers over the protégé.
[edit] Voluntary mentorship
Sometimes one or more experienced editors will take a newer user under their wing. In some cases, this might arise due to difficulties the new user is having with other users or with Wikipedia policies and guidelines. In other cases, the protégé simply feels he or she would benefit from the help of a more seasoned Wikipedia editor. Voluntary mentorship often arises spontaneously, as two or more editors naturally develop a mentorship-like relationship. A good place to receive voluntary mentorship is Wikipedia:Adopt-a-user.
[edit] Involuntary mentorship
In dispute resolution, involuntary mentorship is a remedy in which one or more editors are assigned supervisory powers over another editor. They may also have discretionary powers to modify or annul sanctions against the editor made by administrators under the terms of the decision. The precise terms of the mentorship, as well as the identity of the mentors, are usually spelled out explicitly in the decision that creates the mentorship, but may include delegation of the arbitration committee's banning powers to the mentors.
Such mentorships may be agreed to as an alternative to more serious remedies, such as bans or paroles. Or they may be an end result of the dispute resolution process itself. Users may be placed under mentorship by a ruling of the community, Arbitration Committee, Jimbo Wales or the Wikimedia Board of Trustees.
