One thing Matt and I have in common is that we both are from Kentucky, which always gave us something to chat about at conferences and online. His involvement in the industry was reassuring to me, helping me get past my occasional, illogical "impostor syndrome" symptoms as a Kentuckian in a room full of coastal SEOs (despite my high-level involvement in the industry since ~1998.)

I learned that Matt was from Kentucky in an odd way at a conference. Once, without knowing, I wore my Ale-8-One (a regional Kentucky soda) t-shirt and Michael Dorausch said "you took Matt's shirt!" - I realized that only a Kentuckian would be likely to wear Ale-8-One swag, so I learned the story.

Professionally, I cite Matt's Google videos and material all the time, especially the awesome way he presented Webmaster questions in a concise, friendly simple format. I use this as an example when advising clients to do video FAQs in their content mix. Matt also helped me understand the direction Google was going - that it was essential not to try to chase algorithms but to look at the big picture intent Google was trying to serve. This has had the effect of futureproofing SEO advice - and that has contributed to my success.

Matt - if you read this, I want you to know that you're always welcome to call or email when in Lexington - I got your back if you need anything or just want to grab a meal and chat.