Doug Hanna talked about the Showcase at WordCamp Chicago. He said that it used to be around 5%, but that the number submissions had been increasing and slightly less than 5% get in now.
That percentage is driven down by all of the random stuff that gets submitted though. He even said that they have received Blogger submissions before! So I got the feeling that if you submit a quality site, your odds are a bit better of getting in.
I have a few notes I took from what Doug said about showcase-worthy sites, or how to get a site in the showcase:
- Funny blogs better recieved than dry ones.
- Unconventional uses, like eCommerce.
- WordPress sites for famous people, advanced CMS, site for big biz or organization.
- Tell why it's exceptional
- Be specific: plugins, theme, special features.
- Sites with heavy traffic or lots of comments.
It seemed like the showcase was split pretty even between advanced but obscure sites, and simple, but high profile sites.
I got the impression that the more information you gave him, the better your chances were of being considered for inclusion.
Interestingly, he asked if anyone at Wordcamp Chicago had a site in the Showcase. I think David Peralty was the only one there, with
College Crunch making the grade.