San Diego Magazine has just announced it is now accepting nominations for its 2011 Best Restaurant Awards! Vote for your favorite restaurants in all/some categories. One ballot per person (ballot stuffing could disqualify restaurants). Ballot will not be counted unless it includes your name, daytime phone number and e-mail address. All responses are confidential. Ballots must be submitted by April 15, 2011. Results will appear in the June issue.

For more information or to vote, check out San Diego Magazine.  

The Bolt team is always chatting about the latest and greatest things we find throughout the week. Last week, as we were sitting down to a team meeting, we decided we should share these favorites with anyone who might be interested.

So here it is, the first ever Bolt’s Favorite Things blog. Our team plans on doing this weekly, so in the spirit of inclusion, if you have a favorite thing, please feel free to send it to us (info@boltpr.com)!

• Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar (Porcini Rubbed Filet Mignon – not pictured here): http://ow.ly/2G2OR   
• The New Twitter roll-out #NewTwitter: http://ow.ly/2G2Ti. Dear Twitter, we’re just waiting for our invite to the new features =)
• Bloomberg Empowered Entrepreneur: Achievers – speaking engagement held in Santa Monica with entrepreneurs that include @DGATweeter @HeadBlade @VeeV and more!: http://ow.ly/2G2WL
• Fruit Punch Gatorade (@gatorade): http://ow.ly/2G32F Dennis’ lifeline, full of electrolytes.
• Reggie Bush (@reggie_bush) giving back his Heisman Trophy with total class: http://ow.ly/2G33q
• Radio Disney (@radiodisney): http://ow.ly/2G34m. Tune in to markets nationwide to hear Club GoBeDo on-air!
• Le Parc Suite Hotel in Los Angeles (@LeParcSuite): http://ow.ly/2G3VJ. Thanks for the great service and spacious suites! The doggie brew was an especially nice touch!
• Yogurtland (@yogurtlandinc): http://ow.ly/2G4gg. Three words: Blood Orange Tart. We said it.
• NFL RedZone (@nflredzone): http://ow.ly/2G4GH. It’s the perfect woman’s program – just shows the highlights!

What do you think of this week’s Bolt’s Favorite Things blog? Let us know in the comment section below.

Allow me to preface this blog by stating that I am a raving fan of Twitter. Through the power of the 140-character tweets, I have found new partners, clients, opportunities, vendors, trends and information. I have connected with people across the globe and right down my street whom I may not have otherwise communicated with. I am able to stay on top of the news and information that I care about and interact through my personal “following” selections. At the end of the day, because of Twitter, I am better informed, better connected, and more visible online.

So why does Twitter have such a bad reputation? The simple answer is that those who do not get behind the tool truly don’t understand its use and power. The other answers lie in the excuses reasons that people have recently told me as to why they do not like Twitter:

• “I don’t care about the delicious bagel you’re eating for breakfast.” Really? You have no interest in hearing about the best place in San Diego to get a bagel? Fair enough. Then skip over those 140 characters and focus on all of the other relevant content that’s accessible to you in real time right this second.
• “I don’t want everyone to know where I am at every second of the day.” Ok, then don’t tweet about where you are every second of the day. Tweet about what you want, when you want.
• “Who actually has time to ‘tweet’ all day?” (Insert sarcastic tone on the word ‘tweet’ – it’s my segue way to the next bullet point anyway). Use applications. Take a look at Hootsuite (my personal favorite) or SocialOomph. Or read one of our recent Bolt PR blogs about social media applications. And by the way, you don’t have to tweet every second of the day to be connected. You just have to be on Twitter and connect. There’s a difference.
• “How can I take something called ‘Twitter’ seriously for my business?” I don’t have an answer for you other than millions of other people (105+ million registered users, in fact) find the name satisfactory enough that they’re engaging online right now… including some of your customers and prospects. It’s the name and it’s not going to change anytime soon, so get on it or get left behind.

And there you have my Friday musings. I’d love to hear your reasons for loving Twitter, or other reasons you’ve heard why some people do not. Just leave your comments below. I look forward to tweeting with you soon!