Here are 5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed.

1. Google releases Google+ API

[link] Google+ finally published an API to allow applications to interface with it.

MY TAKE: Although I work to post the right content to the right audience, applications like Hootsuite & Tweetdeck allow users to manage their social conversation with greater efficiency.  The initial API provides  “read-only” access to public posts and therefore it won’t be very interesting.  Once the API works both ways it will be a welcomed improvement.  Yet, this improvement only affects people already using Google+, this won’t draw more users to the social network.

2. Carbyn Has Built a HTML5 OS

[link] Carbyn is brand new.  It launched at TechCrunch this week but it is a look into the future. There is no install, the OS runs in a modern browser. Sign up for Carbyn here.

MY TAKE:  The ability to run an OS in the browser that runs crossplatform apps opens up the door for new possibilities.  It’s hard to classify, but it sounds like a super-hypervisor OS.

3. Sites See Results from Social Sharing Buttons

[link] A study of the top 10,000 websites showed that only 53.6% used at least on social link or plug-in.  The study also evaluated the impact of social sharing. For example a site with a tweet button was mentioned, on average 27 times.  A site without a tweet button was shared only 4 times.

Which social sites were most popular?

• 50.3% Facebook
• 42.5% Twitter
• 8.1% Google+
• 4% LinkedIn

MY TAKE: If you don’t have social sharing on your site your reducing the likelihood your content will be shared and seen 8 fold.

4. As Social Spending Rises, Which Metrics Are CMOs Focusing On?

[link] A recent survey of CMO’s conducted by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the AMA showed a growing use of marketing metrics and a decrease in the use of sales metrics.

Site visits and page views were still the top social media metric used by US marketers, with 52.2% of respondents highlighting that tactic in August 2011. However, counting the number of followers or friends jumped to 34.1% of respondents, up from 24% in August 2010, and buzz indicators or web mentions also increased, from 15.7% of respondents in 2010 to 20.5% in 2011.

Meanwhile, use of sales levels as a metric dropped from 17.9% of respondents in 2010 to 13.3% in 2011, and fewer also measured revenue per customer, with only 9.6% of respondents highlighting that option this year, down from 17.2% in 2010.

MY TAKE: This is spot on.  Social is best used as a relationship builder and servicing medium. Sales will follow but attribution to social efforts will continue to be difficult. We live in a cross-channel world.

5. Five Ways to Improve Your Landing Pages for Better Conversions

[link] Great list of how to keep your landing pages clean and purposeful.

MY TAKE: CMI does a great job of helping Marketers focus on the basics.