Captain Ahab has nothing on Ben Lobaugh. Not only does Lobaugh sail for adventure on his boat zzZippety Doo Dah, but he also organizes Seattle WordCamp and works as a Jetpack Engineer for Automattic. With over fifteen years of experience working with open source communities, Lobaugh is an active contributor to the WordPress Community. He looks forward to teaching WordCamp Las Vegas attendees how to test plugins and fix bugs before they happen. His favorite part of visiting Las Vegas? John Hawkins’ wife’s cookie. [Editor’s Note: The appearance of Mrs. Hawkins’ cookie has not been confirmed, yet.]

WCLV: What do you love most about WordPress?

BL: I love the community behind WordPress. Nowhere else have I seen such a great blend and interaction of users, designers, developers, and business owners all working together with a passion for the software they love as in this community. Even “rival” WordPress studios can be seen sharing ideas and helping each other grow better and stronger.

WCLV: Who is YOUR WordPress hero and why?

BL: It is hard to have a hero when there are so many excellent people driving so many neat projects, from functionality in core, sweet plugins, and fun businesses that provide excellent lifestyles. Above all of them though there are the WordPress newbies that I think deserve the greatest respect and admiration. Learning a new system can be scary but watching new community members come in and not only embrace the platform but get excited about being involved and contributing back, those are my heros.

WCLV: What are your favorite WordPress plugins?

BL: Jetpack, Ship Log, Parent Category Toggler