ReadWriteWeb

How big is social media these days? Big enough to get its own week. This week is Social Media Week, if you hadn't heard, and its taking place in nine cities across the globe. It's a week-long extravaganza of free (or cheap) talks, roundtables, panels, happy hours and other events and we thought we would take a look and give our top five, must-attend events of the week.

Social Media Week is already in full swing, so if you're just getting started now, you've already missed out on a few must-see events, but there's still several days left, so fret not.

Applications are being accepted now for the 4th Annual PITCH: Women 2.0 Startup Competition. The competition is open to any early-stage venture that's still in beta stage and has yet to receive significant funding. Applying teams must have at least one women and one technologist (engineer, scientist, etc) on the founding team.

To enter the competition, submit your application, your "napkin business plan," and film a quick video pitch. The deadline to apply is October 1.

As we mentioned this morning, Twitter is holding an event at its headquarters this afternoon at 4 pm PT, but so far the company is keeping mum on why we're all attending. But attending we are and we have a few hypotheses as to what could be coming, from the long awaited Twitter Analytics, to the launch of Annotations to a true business offering.

Whatever it is, it's sure to be exciting (right?) and our own Mike Melanson will be there to let you know what happens, as it happens. Come back at 4pm PT/7pm ET for our live blog.

With interest in location-based social networks (LBSN) hitting an all-time high with Foursquare's recent funding announcement valuing the company at $115 million, a new type of social networking has emerged that borrows some of the mechanics and incentives from location-based services: event-based social networks (EBSNs).

While LBSN users notify their personal networks where they are physically located by checking in to the service (and earning virtual badges in the process), EBSN users earn their virtual rewards by also using check-in mechanics, but without actually being physically present at a location.

With the 2010 ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit just a few short days away we are working this week to put the finishing touches on the event. One thing we are really excited to include in this summit is the opportunity for innovative startups in the mobile space to show-off their products to our growing list of mobile experts and enthusiasts that plan on attending. This Friday at the Mobile Summit in Mountain View, California, we will be hosting a "speed geeking" session that will allow companies to present their products to as many people as possible, but we need your suggestions on who to invite!

Every now and then we hear the story of the entrepreneur who left his or her steady job at a large company to follow their dreams and create a startup, but we aren't all as daring and brave to quit steady work, especially in a time of economic uncertainty. If you have the entrepreneurial itch but aren't in a situation that would allow you to sacrifice your day job, there are still ways you can scratch said itch and bring innovation to a "startup" within a larger company.

It's not every day you get the chance to hear a half dozen executives from successful startups speak openly about how their companies managed to get to where they are. In fact, its most likely that to get that kind of access in one day, you'd have to be at some high-priced convention that costs several hundred dollars to attend. This isn't the case, however, with Starter Day, an event hosted by software makers Atlassian that will showcase six CEOs and founders from various startups, including Boxee, Aardvark and Pandora.

Earlier tonight, the Paley Center hosted a discussion about social media and digital activism with celebrated artist, architectural designer, activist and blogger Ai Weiwei, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and ReadWriteWeb's editor and founder Richard MacManus. The discussion touched upon a large variety of topics related to social media and digital activism in China, including translating Twitter into Chinese and Google's exit from the Chinese market.

One of the best ways to become an industry influencer is to get involved in industry events. They're a great way to surround yourself with respected colleagues and they offer your the opportunity to network with others who share your interests. If you've got the guts to go toe-to-toe with some of the industry's top pundits, get yourself on stage and show the world what you're made of. When you apply for speaking opportunities, here are some of the points to consider.

Are you itching to get out of the office and network with your peers? In a new feature on ReadWriteWeb, we'll provide a weekly roundup of upcoming Social Web events. We'll publish this every weekend, as good a time as any to review your conference plans.

Know of an event taking place that should appear here? Let us know in the comments below or contact us.