An observation from the Society for New Communications Reserch conference in Boston, Dec. 5 and 6: Social media is like having babies.

Why? As a father of five, I speak from experience:

1) There never really is a good time. You can wait till you have enough money, till you think you are in the right job or house, but really, the right time never comes. So if you want ‘em, get busy.

2) The first child is always nerve-racking. From the first ultrasound to the child’s first steps, everything is a big deal, full of uncertainty and doubt.

3) As things progress, and if you are fortunate enough, you may have another. The entire process is a bit easier but still intimidating, which leads to a greater appreciation for parenting — and your children.

Segue to the Coca-Cola and Mentos videos that entertain millions on the Web. It’s a fascination with seeing common things behave uncommonly. It is the quirky progression that draws you into these video vignettes created by eepybird productions. These guys are actors, not marketers. Their approach to life is to engage people in what they are doing. Hmmm — that’s a good thing.

Big companies with iconic brands like Coke are extremely protective, and rightly so. After all, getting involved in any form of social media is not child’s play. It can seem more like playing in traffic, and every parent is nervous about their kids crossing the street.

Luckily, there are rules. Last night at the Society for New Communications Research dinner, I had a conversation with a senior executive from the Coca-Cola Company. I came to these conclusions about entering social media for corporate marketers:

1) Social media is a playground of ideas, with plenty of ways to stay safe.
2) Observe the way consumers interact with your brand. The more fun they have with it, the greater the reason you should be a conduit for them to share it with others.
3) Creativity is the art of discovering where the playground ends and the street begins.

Stay tuned to Coke. They will be coming out with another element of the social media in their virtual world playground real soon.

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