The SEO industry is mourning the loss of yet another well loved personality in our industry - Michael Streko. He passed away on Saturday morning, at an age way too young. He has left behind a son and an industry that loved him.
Michael was on of the pioneers of the online reputation management spaces within the SEO space. He was wicked smart when it came SEO and to sculpting the search results the way they came out looking better. He made a huge amount of friends within the industry over the years.
Barry Wise created a fund for his son Everett. He wrote:
If you knew Michael, then you knew how much fun and full of life he was - and you also knew how much of a sudden and tremendous shock this news was to his family, friends, and all those who cared for him. And you also probably knew him as Streko, not Michael. He had a great gift for not only making friends, but really touching the lives of everyone he came in contact with.While Streko was a great friend to many, he was a loving father to one son, Everett. Ev is a great kid who will be entering high school in a few years, and after that, the world. I think it would be great if he had a little help when he enters that world, because it will be tough enough without his father there to help him. So I am setting up this memorial fund specifically to help him pay for whatever college or post-high school education he chooses. His grandmother (Streko's mom) will be the recipient of any and all funds we can raise, to hold for him until he graduates high school.
Please donate what you can over here.
Here is a photo of him and his son:
A couple people emailed me some messages, and many others have been posting on social media - I will only share tweets and email below.
Richard Kirk - KnowEm Director of Operations 2009-20015:
Over the course of 6-8 years you have a lot of memories of people. You know the best and worst of them. Streko was a part of my wedding and we celebrated through the night and as much as that means to me, the best memory of him that I have is his love for his son.For so many years Michael was more than a business associate or colleague but early on in the first three months of KnowEm existing there was one day that we had an issue we were seeking to resolve regarding an unmotivated staff member and he said something that stuck with me. I don't have the exact quote but he told me that everything he did was for his son Everett and that if someone messed with the business in any way they had to go. It was that principle that guided him in his day to day decisions during his time at KnowEm. It led to the company succeeding. For all he did for me, for all of our staff members, all of which were byproducts of the good he wanted to do for his son, I am forever grateful.
With him gone, there is no longer a way to provide for his son. If you can, please consider giving to the GoFundMe started by my friend and former colleague Barry Wise. Give Everett a chance at a bright future as he needs help from all of us at this point.
Alan Bleiweiss - Forensic SEO Consultant:
Michael and I operated in two different realms – while mine was SEO consulting, his was a mostly a combination of affiliate marketing and always working toward some next industry tool. We connected effortlessly from the inside – he was a sincere, caring person who was eager to be helpful, and share his brilliant mind.My best memory was from our conversations about the industry. He was so enthusiastic to be able to talk about it - like a little kid bursting with energy needing to be let out. I could feel his energy through the phone.
While he ultimately wasn’t able to get past the demons inside, I’m grateful that he knew he could call me to talk about those demons and feel safe in doing so. And I’m grateful to have known him to the degree we did connect.
I'll remember Michael Streko as my #internetfamily and my brother. I'll also remember him as the father to one great son. A college fund has been set up to help Ev. Please consider donating to a great kid who lost his dad way too soon. https://t.co/r4JxJeeUju
— Lisa Barone (@LisaBarone) August 12, 2018
RIP, Michael Streko @streko, one of Reputation Management industry's pioneers. I'm so saddened at his passing!
— Chris Silver Smith (@si1very) August 12, 2018
Sorry to learn the news of Michael Streko's passing. At his peak, he did amazing things for the SEO and ORM space and we had some great collaborations and chats. :(
— Andy Beal (@AndyBeal) August 12, 2018
RIP Michael Streko. 2018 has been a truly horrible year
— Kevin Doory (@KevinDoory) August 11, 2018
RIP Michael streko. We had a complicated relationship personally and professionally but some of the best times in my life were with him. He was at my wedding. A lot of what I have is because of him. Nothing can change that.
— Richard Kirk (@RichardPKirk) August 11, 2018
Forum discussion at Twitter.
