# Finding other groups: meeting points, radio, couriers and custodians

> How scattered groups stay in touch and share knowledge after a crisis: meeting points, written notices, messengers, radio and archive custodians.

## Quick answer

Meet your neighbours now, make a household plan with two meeting points, give a copy of your archive to another household, and after a crisis send two people to the next settlement within a day. Trade news, seed and skills.

*Part of [Day Zero](/day-zero), the plan for an AI-related crisis that gets out of control. [Why it exists](/day-zero/purpose). General information, not medical advice: [how these guides are reviewed](/day-zero/review).*

## Finding other groups

No single group can rebuild alone. Several small groups sharing knowledge, seed, tools and news recover faster, and a loss in one place does not erase everything.

## Before it happens

1. **Meet your neighbours.** Know who has medical, farming, repair and radio skills.
2. **Make a household plan** with two meeting points (near home, and outside your area) and a contact person far away.
3. **Share the archive.** Give a copy of your drives to one other household and agree to refresh them. This is the role of a **custodian** ([the monthly habit](/research)).
4. **Agree who goes where.** If the area is unsafe, have a destination with water and farmland and a route.

## After it happens

- **Day 1 to 3:** meet at the first meeting point; leave notes with the date, who is here and where you are going.
- **Week 1:** send two people (never alone) to the next settlement within a day's walk to share news and learn what they have.
- **Weekly:** meet at a regular point (market day) with news, trade and a messenger.

## Signals and radio

- **Written notices** at crossroads, notice boards and meeting places.
- **Messengers on foot or bicycle** between groups: simple, reliable and no power.
- **Radio:** handheld radios (PMR446 in Europe, FRS/GMRS in the United States) reach a few kilometres; amateur (ham) radio can reach far with a licence and training. **Check your local laws now.** Agree a daily time to listen (for example, on the hour) and keep messages short.
- **Do not broadcast** your supplies or locations.

## What to share

- News and warnings (disease, hazards, bandits).
- Seed and animals (to keep the gene pool broad).
- Skills: send an apprentice, or a teacher for a season.
- **Copies of the archive.** The group that has the reader and drives is a school for the others.
- **Labour** for big jobs (harvest, building, mills).

## Agreements

Write down: shared water and paths, trading terms, how disputes are settled, how strangers are treated, and what is done if one group is in famine. A written agreement that both sides know holds longer than a handshake.

## Custodians

A custodian keeps a verified copy of the Toswo archive, tests it, copies it for others, and teaches people to use the reader. If you hold a copy, tell your neighbours. If you do not, find the nearest one.

*Review status: not yet checked by a named professional. Read [how these guides are reviewed](/day-zero/review) and check anything medical or dangerous with a qualified person where you can.*

## Common questions

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Source: https://www.toswo.com/day-zero/network
Published by TOSWO Research (https://www.toswo.com/research). Free to cite with attribution: https://www.toswo.com/cite