The calendar may say fall, but things are heating up on the tech startup and social media scene in Atlanta.

Friday the 13th may end up being the start of a lucky weekend for a number of mobile app developers who'll take part in the Midtown Buzz Mobile Hackathon.

Hypepotamus ' Scott Henderson (@scottyhendo) told me over Twitter that the hackathon kicksoff a six-month initiative to build connected mobile applications to improve and enhance the Midtown experience. It “is designed to create a splash and get people talking,” Henderson said.

The Midtown Alliance and Georgia Tech's Institute for People and Technology and Hypepotamus are collaborating on the hackathon.

Developers will be asked to compete in three prize categories:

    Wayfinder - enhance the visitor experience in Midtown as they live, work and play. What are some cool local sites, shops, tours, and other things that make Midtown unique?

    Transportation - make it easier to travel around Midtown by foot, bike, or automobile. Where are the bike racks?  What is my easiest route through the MARTA stations? What are my parking options?

    Wildcard - propose your own idea or grab some from the idea bank.

Winners of this phase compete to win a free stay at the Hyatt Midtown, gift certificates to Midtown restaurants, and other “goodies.”  Participating teams will have the chance to continue their work after this hackathon and go after even bigger prizes to be awarded next year.

Time is running out to register (Online registration ends at 5:00 pm EDT TODAY or when maximum event capacity is reached. Walk-in registrations on Sept. 13 will be allowed only if the event has remaining capacity ).

Social Shake-Up

A few years ago a social media conference would probably have focused more on “what is social media and should I use it for my business?” But in the blink of 140 characters or less  it’s more likely these days a gathering of social media enthusiasts would  focus on how a business can maximize its bottom line using social media. 

And boosting business seems to the goal of the Social Shake-Up (say that fast three times) conference that begins and runs until Tuesday.

Hosted by Social Media Today, the Social Shake-Up pledges to showcase “the industry's most iconic social media pundits and brands all under the same roof.”

According to the website, “the 2 1/2 day, interactive conference will explore how social is shaking up traditional organizations and communication channels to create a new business model: the Social Enterprise.

While the conference is billed as a national gathering of social media practitioners, The Social Shake-up will have plenty of local flavor mixed into the speaker and moderator lineup.

You can still register for the event, but be warned a full-access conference pass will set you back almost $1,000. But the Social Shake-up is offering what they’re calling The Atlanta VIPs Limited Pass. For $25 Atlanta locals can choose one of the final panel sessions that are on 9/17 at 3:15 pm

Tech Comp At Tech

And next week Georgia Tech engineering students will have a chance to pick up some extra a cash!

Cardlytics, an Atlanta-based advertising and technology company is sponsoring a software development competition for 60 GA Tech students.  The competition is a unique way for Cardlytics to interview and evaluate prospective new hires.

On Tuesday the students will be asked to solve a specific software engineering challenge – students won’t be told what they problem is until the competition is about to begin. Students will have six hours to solve the problem by developing a working software prototype.  If a student is successful in completing an application they’ll be eligible for cash prizes and an interview with Cardlytics.

So whether your passion is tweeting , coding or hacking the next few days in Atlanta should be a lot of fun!

What else is going on? Let me know!