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Tim Berners-Lee started the web to help scientists communicate

The forward slashes at the beginning of internet addresses have long annoyed net users and now the man behind them has apologised for using them.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, has confessed that the // in a web address were actually "unnecessary".

He told the Times newspaper that he could easily have designed URLs not to have the forward slashes.

"There you go, it seemed like a good idea at the time," he said.

He admitted that when he devised the web, almost 30 years ago, he had no idea that the forward slashes in every web address would cause "so much hassle".

His light-hearted apology even had a green angle as he accepted that having to add // to every address had wasted time, printing and paper.

Sir Tim is currently director of the World Wide Web Consortium and he is also working with the UK government to help open up access to government data.

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Microsoft's Twitter policy simple, straightforward

If you're curious about where Microsoft stands on employees' use of Twitter, take a look at Microsoft's "Tweeting Guidelines" (PDF).

They're among social-media policies from more than 80 organizations compiled by Chris Boudreaux, author of the upcoming book "Social Media Governance." Microsoft's stands out from many others' -- even other tech organizations' -- for its conversational rather than commanding tone, dearth of legalese and, frankly, implicit trust that employees won't do anything stupid.

Few specific restrictions are given; employees are reminded instead to "use their judgment" and "to post sensibly and responsibly." The 10 questions on Microsoft's Twitter/microblogging FAQ mostly concern whether and when employees can announce their company affiliation and/or speak on behalf of the company. (In a nutshell: only if that's their part of their job.)

Those seeking further guidance are referred to Microsoft's more detailed Blogging FAQ (included in the PDF starting on page four), which echoes the theme that employees should "exercise good judgment and 'be smart'.'" That document does delve into more specific topics, such as releasing confidential information (don't do it!), talking about competitors ("use good judgment"), and whether posts need to be cleared or edited (no, just "be smart").