Like everyone else, I learned a lot from Matt through the years, but that wasn't how Matt made the biggest impact on me. Before I met him, he was always polite and nice on social media; that meant a lot - I was no one, and he was nice anyway.

The big impact happened when I met Matt in 2012 at Pubcon Las Vegas. I was so excited to meet him. At that time I was the Managing Editor at SEJ. One of the first things Matt said to me was, ""Good job cleaning up SEJ."" That meant everything to me. I worked so hard to clean it up, and he noticed. When you hear ""good job"" from Matt Cutts, wow. That meant so much to me. It was a massive confidence boost I needed at that time.

Matt also somehow knew I volunteered with tigers at that time and I have pics of him doing this tiger scratch motion thing, as we laughed. What that showed is that Matt paid real attention to people; it is an insight into his character. He spent almost two hours talking with us about all kinds of stuff. And what I saw that night was the real Matt, a genuinely kind man. Funny and sweet - the same guy in the videos but ten times as vibrant.

I saw him at another conference two years later, and he acted welcoming and was kind - again, he didn't have to do that. I was just one person amongst many in this industry.

So, I want to say thank you to Matt for his genuine kindness because it is rare and it is a true gift to others. Often, those that offer it don't realize how much it means to people. Lastly, the kind words at Pubcon meant so much I am not sure how to put it into words. Matt, you made a significant impact, and you didn't know it; your words pushed me in a very positive direction. It has meant a lot to me for years, and I can't thank you enough. All the little things you have done and all the small kindnesses you have shown matter. You have changed lives for the better.