Online Safety in San Diego
4/24/2022
I’m back from San Diego and rested up. After some pretty awesome networking from EthDenver this year, I was invited to speak at San Diego NFTCon, a convention about Web3, the metaverse, and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Working quickly in a two-week span, my designer and I booked our flights and hotel.
I created two engaging, yet informative presentations for kids and adults. One presentation was based on our PopCykol Tips, including cyber security topics like passwords, MFA/2FA, cyberbullying, netiquette/metaquette, and phishing. The other was a more in depth presentation on OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence), social engineering, sock puppets, and catfishing.
Finally, after a year of collaborating virtually, I met my designer Kemi in real life and it was a treat! She was a tremendous help with coordination and set up. She connected me with other creators at the convention. I couldn’t have done this alone. We were fortunate to meet multiple NFT projects. With all conventions, there were ups and downs, but we remained flexible and adapted.
I was very impressed by all the kids who participated in the NFT Kids panel discussion. They were so articulate about their art and creativity. I really enjoyed meeting a number of them that I’ve only chatted with virtually. I’m looking forward to getting to know them better on this journey of Web3, but also protecting them and gearing them with cyber security knowledge.
On Day 1, I spoke about phishing and the next day, one of the kids let us know that she received a text message of a phishing scam. Do you know what she did? Nothing! She didn’t click the link. She deleted the message. I was so proud of her that she was able to recognize the signs of phishing and make a smart decision. See, PopCykol works!
Kemi and I found great places to dine in our free time and mapped out how best to present our PopCykol Tips. We handed out some fun swag at the event that included our ice cube and logo stickers, coloring books, a PopCykol keychain fob (that surprisingly included a whistle), and Hippity Hop Pop, my Teressa G & The Monkeys album.
On Day 2, PopCykol was featured in livestream by Wealthyverse Studios. Watch a clip here: Livestream of PopCykol at SDNC 2022. Kemi and I enjoyed a walk down to the water to see the Pacific Ocean. It was lovely. In all, it was a great trip for PopCykol that formed lasting bonds and great connections have flourished from the event. We’re in talks with a number of projects that love what PopCykol is doing and want to support us in protecting our precious, curious kids online.
Don’t forget to connect with PopCykol’s socials. Our Password curriculum is live and you can enroll in the course and learn even more about protecting your online data.
Watch a recap of the event.
