This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
Lisa Barone, 35 years old, lives in upstate New York with her husband and toddler, is a super awesome individual. Heck, she was my live blogging buddy when we were both in our twenties (she is only a two years younger than me). I remember the days we sat next to each other in those uncomfortable chairs in the front row, before we had power cords and Wifi and rushed to see who would live blog faster. While I may have been faster, she was way more detailed and accurate in her coverage.
Lisa's writing was different and special - she was able to connect personalities together in a way that was inspirational. It is hard to explain, but when she writes, you just want to read it.
She spent a some time at Bruce Clay, then went to Albany to start her own thing and from there joined Overit and became the Chief Marketing Officer there pretty quickly.
Lisa, it is an honor for me to post this on behalf of the search community.
Lisa had two nominations, one was anonymous and it read:
In 20+ years, I have attended one SEO/SEM event. A primary reason involved my ascendancy to that sad apex of being #frownface internet-known, sorta? Enough for some people to know my, uh, fake name. Which meant they would, I reasoned, appreciate my appreciation as being slightly more considered than that of a random, rabid Cuttlet posse member (no shade on them, though I wish they'd have let me through just once). I almost didn't go. I was weird and dumb and fat and busy and needed a hairdresser.Except one of the people I most wanted to meet, and thank, was Lisa Barone, and for all the things to put on the scales of SEO/SEM, for me, it was that she had this freaking Tedx Talk (still available on YouTube) about... stuttering. Her. Own. Stuttering. My personal definition of bravery to that point involved me stuffing what might be one too many links into the footer without nofollowing those bad boys (hey, it worked back in the day!). So yeah, inspiring. Take a perceived weakness, own it, and made it one of your many amazing strengths? Cool. It works in SEO/SEM, and is applicable outside of that space, too.
I went. And I did meet Lisa. Awkwardly, which I would blame on Lisa, but I sort of didn't know my own name by that point, and I possibly introduced myself as Bruce Sullivan-Whalen, street chalk artist, which was a lie. I can't draw anything with chalk. Lisa wasn't awful or cruel or drunk or liveblogging or anything horrible like that. She was funny and generous and human... and to pile all of that on top of her many years of consistently excellent writing in the SEO/SEM industry made her one of my favorite people ever. She has become an even stronger, more confident, and more recognized voice in the years since, yet she has not wavered in being relatable and moderate and professional. Did you mean Lisa Barone? Yes. Yes, I did. Still top of the organics.
Also Melissa Fach nominated her and said:
Lisa was someone everyone that was writing (back in the day) looked up to. She was the epitome of perfect writing and hoping to write half as well as she did was the goal for many. Lisa brought a higher level of learning with her writing and we all learned from her. On top of that, she has always been a kind and helpful person to everyone in this industry. Lisa's smile can brighten any room and her humor can lighten any day. Her skills, personality, a compassion have been a gift to this industry.
Lisa Barone Bio: Lisa Barone is Chief Marketing Officer at Overit, a full-service marketing agency where fearless creative meets grown up ROI. Overit was just named a Best Place to Work in the Capital Region and Lisa says she couldn’t agree more.
Favorite thing about the SEO community? The people. I’ve developed incredible relationships over the past 11+ years, which continue to reveal themselves as blessings in my life. The techniques and shiny marketing things change, but we continue to support and lookout for one another. It’s pretty special.
One piece of advice to the SEOs out there? Be a resource. Even if you think you don’t know a lot, you do. Share what you know and what you can and you’ll be surprised what you get back. Find ways to support and mentor those just coming up.
Favorite things in general? Orange. It’s my favorite color and, now that I think about it, the color of the things I most like to eat.
What you want to be known for in the SEO space? Someone who helps others have a voice, and someone who uses hers responsibly.
You can learn more about Lisa on her company site and watch her awesome tweets at @LisaBarone.
This is part of the say something nice about an SEO/SEM series - feel free to nominate someone over here.
