I used to be one of those self-righteous types who declared I’d sooner break up with a man than stoop to snoop. This stance wasn’t because I was noble or had never been tempted—I’m not and I have. I just remember all too well the day my mother read my journal aloud to my entire family. I was 17 and, as you can probably imagine, that book was bursting at the seams with embarrassing, angst-laden, mawkish, teenage drama. To say I was mortified ... well, that doesn’t begin to describe the way I felt.

Since that day, I’ve always been very respectful of other people’s privacy, in particular my partners’ and, unfortunately, often to my own detriment. I’d listen to suspicious friends’ tales of hacking into their boyfriends’ emails or reading their texts and waste no time voicing my disapproval.

According to a new poll, women are way more likely than men to “stalk” an ex online, with 62% of the 1700 people polled admitting to looking up a former love online. I totally believe that women use the Internet more often than men to garner information on a crush, look up the whereabouts of exes, and check out a former flame’s new significant other. In fact, Catherine and I were just discussing the fact that none of our recent dates seemed to have Googled us, which I kind of find…insulting. But I don’t think “looking up” an ex (or a crush or the competition) online is the same as “stalking.” After the jump, I break down the differences between just snoopin’ and totally stalking when it comes to online behavior.

If you’ve been guilty of snooping through your luvah’s internet history, you’re definitely not alone. A recent UK survey found that a whopping 70 percent of Brits regularly check their partners’ online activity. These aren’t isolated incidents—respondents admitted to snooping at least once a month to see if their partners had been surfing porn sites, trading sexy photos or love notes with anyone, or had been up to any other sneaky activities. “There really is nowhere to hide on the web anymore; especially now that people are so active online, with social networking sites and forums. People can post pictures or inappropriate comments that, when taken out of context, can lead to serious problems at home,” said study author, Steffen Ruehl.

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I enjoy a good snoop—when I’m in a house that’s not my own, I have been known to rifle through a drawer or two, check out the medicine cabinet, and try on the owner’s clothing (including a wedding dress once). A few months ago, when my fiance was out of town, I went through all his photos of him with his ex-girlfriend. Sometimes, if he leaves his laptop on and his email is up there on the screen just BEGGING for me to take a looksie, I’ll glance, but never actually open anything. Then again, I have never seen anything that got my curiosity brewing beyond control.

The point is, everyone snoops, at least a little, and no one more so than the protagonist of the book I’m reading, Whacked by Jules Asner. It’s chick lit, but it’s not crappy or badly written, though it’s definitely beach-worthy. In the book, Dani uses her skills as a writer for CSI-esque crime show to snoop on everyone from the owners of the open houses she attends to her no-good boyfriend. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with her tactics and tips, as well as some of the handy online tools she used, so I decided to assemble a guide to snooping, after the jump. Don’t blame me if you get caught red-handed though. I am hardly a professional.