Online Chat With Mainland China, Help!

[Journey]

I hope someone could provide some advice for me regarding online/e-mail communications with people on Chinese mainland.

In recent times I've made a few friends online who reside in China, in general I've encountered few problems, albeit with a lack of Mandarin. However, there have been occassions where problems have existed, typically where e-mail hasn't been received some with and some without images. Incidently the images were of purely scenic views, The River Severn and Malvern Hills, nothing I would consider of any harm politically or otherwise. Other times I feel sentences have been omited from my conversations on MSN Messenger too.

I appreciate China hasn't yet become the open society it may do in future, but is there anywhere I would be able to learn of basic guidelines or etiquette to apply when in contact with citizens from Mainland China,

Many thanks for any help you can offer,

Journey

[gougou]

I would put these down to technical failures rather than to intervention by higher forces.

I have been losing messages in MSN on several occasions, even without talking about famous squares in Beijing or people-based forms of government.

Haven't had much trouble with emails, though.