{{essay}}

All of us make mistakes.  Sometimes we make really big mistakes.  Sometimes mistakes cause others to
spend a lot of their time to fix the issue, or to convince someone of the severity of their mistake
(Arbcom members spend a large amount of their time and energy every week for a relatively few of the
most serious issues).

At the same time, Wikipedia is making a
[http://wikimania2006.wikimedia.org/wiki/Opening_Plenary_%28transcript%29#Quality_initiative_.2833:20.29
push for quality], and it has [[:Category:Wikipedia backlog|many backlogs]] that need to be worked
on that can move us towards being a higher quality encyclopedia.

It would be good if an individual who has made mistakes could voluntarily
spend a chunk of their time to work through part of a backlog.  It would be good if the community
could accept this, not as punishment forced on someone, but as voluntary repayment for mistakes made.

== Details ==
Before deciding on the length of time to spend working on a backlog, and before choosing a backlog
to work on, it might be a good idea to consult others in the community about what activities might
be most helpful.  Some in the community may see certain activities as being more helpful to
Wikipedia's quality initiative, or they may see certain backlogs as being in greater need of help.
As this is a voluntary donation of time to repay the community, it would be good to ask others which
they see as most helpful.

Also, some backlogs require less expertise than others, allowing someone to spend a greater amount
of time working on the backlog.

The individual working on the backlog should make an effort to do a good job...  the goal should not
be to do the edits as fast as possible in order to accumulate a higher number of edits, but to spend
the allotted time doing the most good for Wikipedia by performing quality edits.  At the same time,
others should not expect the individual to do a perfect job, as none of us are capable of achieving that.

Making amends could be part of an RFC, mediation, or arbcom case, but again, it should be
volunteered rather than forced on someone.  Whether and how much it might be able to reduce
probation periods would be up to the community or arbcom.


alternate words...
    reparation
    penance (maybe a bit negative though?)
    Wikipedia:Make amends