Many private colleges have begun offering courses or programs in technologically-mediated formats, specifically utilizing online or internet based programs. These programs provide opportunity and access to unique student populations, and the personal relationship element of private colleges is often challenged in these distributed programs. This challenge is particularly acute in advising relationships. Subsequently, the current study was designed to explore the use of advising best practices by private colleges' online programs. As an exploratory study, baseline data were collected through a literature-based, researcher-developed survey instrument. With a 40% response rate to the survey, data suggested that many programs are not intentional in their construction of advising protocols to serve online students.