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Given how fast social media is developing, it’s only natural that you may feel a little lost. Whether you’re desperately attempting to cover up your dirty little secret online, or trying to avoid any misunderstanding with your girlfriend or wife over a photograph she saw, we have the solutions. Here are five questions – and expert answers – from readers about sexual e-tiquette.

My girlfriend read my e-mails and found messages from a friend she considers a rival. She’s furious; I’m furious. What’s next?
– Koh

“When women cheat, they’re most likely to engage in an ‘emotional affair’ (same deal, no touching). So, in her eyes, the ‘just friends’ defence doesn’t compute,” says Grace Dent, a social media expert and author of How to Leave Twitter. If you maintain contact with a friend, you need a strict daily delete routine, because men are much worse at covering their tracks in situations like these.

A survey by dating site ilicitencounters.com found 50 per cent of men (as opposed to 12 per cent of women) get caught due to sloppy e-privacy. Don’t be sentimental and keep things your “friend” said that were funny, sweet or dirty. If it tugs at your heartstrings to trash this stuff, then you need to ask yourself how you really feel about both women, says Dent.

When a female friend lost her phone, I gave her my old one. But I forgot to delete naked photos of myself that I once sent to an ex-girlfriend. What can I do now?
– Mark

Okay, do you look hot in them? If so, this is less of a problem and more of a viral campaign for future sex. If not, delete the evidence remotely. “If she’s using the same Sim card, there’s hope,” says Hannah Bouckley, editor of tech site recombu.com. “Iphone users can try the Find my iPhone app. Log onto iCloud and perform a Remote Wipe. Android users can do the same with Kaspersky Mobile Security.”

But if it’s too late, say: “I’m sorry you had to see this. You’re not offended, are you?” The combined force of assuming she’s such a lady, her delicate answer that she could cope with nudity and the fact you’ve given her a phone makes you highly “beddable”. Men don’t go out of their way to find phones for a girl they think is a pig, do they?

My wife is angry about a photo of me on Facebook in what looks like a compromising situation. How do I calm her down?
– Joel

The photo may well be innocent, but how would you feel? “Have strong words with whoever posted the photo for (cue the amateur dramatics) ‘putting you in this situation with the woman you love’. And make sure she overhears,” says Dent. Then prevent it from happening again. Bouckley recommends changing your privacy settings. “Stop tags by going to ‘Privacy Settings’ – ‘How Tags Work’ – ‘Edit Settings’ – ‘Profile Review’ and check ‘Enabled’. You can manually approve posts before they go live. Enforcing a no-camera policy on lads’ nights out should help, too,” says Bouckley.

My friends saw compromising photos of my girlfriend on my phone, then told her. How do I deal with the mess?
– Mike

You’ve betrayed this girl’s trust. It’s a wonder you’re not having the phone surgically removed from your colon. Behavioural psychologist Marisa Peers says: “If you took them without her permission, you should beg for her forgiveness. And remember this: Photos on your phone are as public as those in your wallet.” Delete them, ideally in front of her. Next, plead with your friends to never bring them up ever again.

If she allowed you to take them, it shows she trusted you enough and expected you to keep them safe. Now that you’ve broken that trust, don’t even think about asking her for permission to take similar photos of her to replace the old ones.

Her Facebook status changed to “in a relationship” after only four dates? Is that normal?
– Benson

Good luck, dear friend. You’ve got a livewire here. There’s a chance she’s simply misjudged your feelings after something you said. There’s also a chance she’s picking curtains for your marital home and compiling a hit list of all your female friends. Say: “I see we’re in a relationship, according to Facebook?” And when she says, “Yes, we are, aren’t we?”, respond with “Well, according to Facebook, we are.” If she doesn’t sense that this is awkward, her sense of self-awareness shows she clearly isn’t a keeper.