ReadWriteWeb

Remember when you couldn't figure out where July went? Well, now it's September.

Summer is indeed coming to a close, but to help soften the blow, ReadWriteWeb has compiled a list of four essential technology conferences for small business owners and professionals coming up this month. These events are US-only, but if you know of any international events worth checking out, please leave a note in the comments.

If there's one thing every entrepreneur realizes before launching a new venture, it's that one of the most important steps toward success is getting your name out there. If you're new to the startup game and don't have a reputation upon which to announce a new company, public relations (PR) is likely at the forefront of your mind as you build your startup. Most startups, however, are looking to penny-pinch in any way they can in order to bootstrap their businesses, so how can you get the word out on a budget? Here are a few tips.

Fresh on the heels of yesterday's launch of location-based mobile discounts app Shopkick, yet another geo-targeted mobile shopping service prepares its own take on mobile couponing and promotions. But don't worry - you can breathe a sigh of relief - it's not yet another iPhone app to download.

Instead, the new "ShopAlerts" service is actually a white-label platform that allows retailers and other businesses to send location-triggered mobile text messages to consumers who've opted in to receive them.

Yes, geo-fenced, geo-targeted mobile couponing, discounts and promotions have arrived.

Tampa-based BlueGlass Interactive annouced earlier today the launch of a hosted platform for managing search marketing campaigns. The new offering, called SecondStep, promises to bring enterprise-level search marketing automation tools to smaller businesses using a freemium payment model.

"While the search marketing software market for the world's largest companies is seemingly well established, very little innovation has occurred for the other 98 percent," says Dave Snyder, SVP of Search for Blueglass.

Siri - an iPhone application that uses its speech recognition technology to act as a mobile personal assistant that was purchased by Apple earlier this year - is an excellent case study in how to leverage open APIs to satiate utilitarian consumer needs. So why don't more marketers create open APIs and allow others to create enjoyable consumer experiences?

As Tim Berners-Lee says, we now live on a Web of data rather than a Web of documents. Companies are currently sitting on piles and piles of data. While all of this data is useful to someone, a company's management team will traditionally balk at the chance to share data, even if it's non-personally identifiable data. Executives often do not see a direct correlation between their company's vitality and sharing their information with the world.

As much attention as social media marketing is commanding these days, it's nowhere close to replacing good old fashioned email as a means to reach current and potential customers. With so many services out there for building and deploying eNewsletters, it's not always easy to know which one is right for your small business.

Any frequent reader of ReadWriteWeb should know that mobility is one of the most significant trends we've been tracking. One thing we haven't discussed much in the realm of mobile, however, is how startups and entrepreneurs can take advantage and prepare themselves for a venture into mobile. Today I spoke with Steve Eisenberg, a business development consultant for MRN Digital Media, and he was kind enough to share some insights that startups may find valuable before diving into the mobile market head-first.

During a recent family vacation in Boston and New York City, my mother was perplexed by my obsession with photographing every plate of food I had during the trip. I did this not just to remember the delicious meals I enjoyed (clam chowder was the best of all), but also to participate in the location-based food-porn fun that is Foodspotting. The service, which collects photos of food its users take while eating out, has announced today its very first brand partnership with Zagat Survey to share photos and restaurant guides across both sites.

As the popularity of augmented reality (AR) marketing grows, it is becoming difficult to keep up with all of the important brands that are looking to test out the technology. This is great news for AR fans. As I've mentioned several times before, big brand acceptance of AR as a viable digital marketing platform is a huge precursor to mainstream popularity. In the recent weeks, several big brands have jumped on the AR bandwagon, and some have even gone back for seconds. Here's a run down of some recent activity.

A new mobile marketing survey from Harris Interactive says that the demographic group most interested in receiving mobile advertising is mobile owners with children. This group is interested in receiving opt-in alerts from brands, says the study, and the adults in households with children are also generally more "promotionally active" than others, meaning more likely to take part in marketing promotions like couponing, discounts and daily deals

Those with children under 6-years old were the most receptive to this form of advertising, with 35% in favor of opt-in alerts that arrived via their mobile phone.