Here is a great overview with hints and tips around setting up Google+ Collections. They are a perfect way to 'niche' you content, and right now your followers transfer across from a profile or a page to the Collections too.

1. A Guide to Google+ Collections

2. Get ready to learn just about everything
you’ll need to know about the latest major
release for Google+
Over the coming months myself and the PYB Team are
going to experiment a lot and will report back on this
post with out findings.
Note: I have been around the concept of collections
for about 6 months now, so this guide has been built
up over that time.

3. Get into Collections!
What are ‘Collections’?
Collections are, well, collections of posts on any
subject you choose.
They are like virtual, interactive magazines.
These can be your passions, niches, or focus of content
you publish on Google+

4. Collections will help you have conversations about
your favourite things, with the right people.
For some people, they will enter Collections to find
content on your passions, brought together in one
place. For others they will find niche content
collected by people they follow.
Collections make it simpler to share the content you
love, with the people who’ll love it.

5. Find Collections
Where will you find Collections?
You will see the Collections icon on the side bar on
Google+ for your Profile or Pages.
Just click to bring up the overview page for
Collections.
You can then enter a Collection to see that content.
On other people’s profiles you will see it as a tab.

6. Note: you can hide this tab in the same way as you
can the other tabs.
You can do this in your Settings.

7. How does following a Collection work?
People who are already following you will be following
your public Collections by default.
You can also follow a collection by clicking on the
Follow Button when not already following:

8. Then you will be given this option, including
whether to display them on your profile for people
also following that collection:
Also, you can change whether YOU are showing the
collections from the About Section on your Profile or Page.

9. Build Collections
Who can create a Collection?
Any Profile or Page on Google+ can create a
Collection.
Simply click on the collections icon on the side bar, or
on the selections tab on your profile.

10. Then click the + sign:

11. The a box will appear where you can choose the
type of Collection - Public, or Private.
At this point you can name it too. Note: you can rename
later on.

12. Google choose an image for you automatically.
Click on ‘Customize’ to add in your own image.

13. If you click on the gear icon you can edit
the name of the Collection:
Also, you can click to
delete your collection:

14. What can you call your Collections?
You can call them just about anything your want.
The title can be 50 characters in length.
How many Collections can you have?
50

15. What are the settings for a Collection?
Right now they are either Public, Your circles or
Private (only you).
Can you switch a Collection from private to public?
No, once you decide on the setting it is fixed.

16. Send into Collection
How will people share content into a Collection?
Option 1
You can create a post
and send it into the
collection:
Simply choose the
name of the collection
and click!

17. Option 2
On an ‘already shared post’, there is a small arrow on the
post box that will bring up the menu - simply select the
Collection in one click and you are away.

18. Tip: As this moves the post straight into the Collection,
you will find you won’t be able to add a comment/text
to it when you click (i.e. at the top).
But, just like any other post, you will be able to edit:

19. Option 3
There is also an option to share AND add a comment
above the box as you ordinarily would.
Instead of choosing the name of the collection, simply
choose the arrow button in that area:

20. Then add a comment as you usually would:

21. If the Collection is public, will people see
posts from my Collections on my Profile as well?
Yes they will, assuming you have this tab displayed.
You can alter this in your settings.
Will a Collection’s content flow in the Stream?
Yes, it will flow in the same way as any posts you are
given the access rights to see:

22. (including: public, circles, communities to
which you belong etc.)

23. Can you move existing posts into Collections?
Yes you can!
Click on the small arrow
in the upper right and
choose that option:

24. Then you will see a box like this:
From here you choose the name of the collection from
the list, and it will be moved there:

25. Can you move posts out of collections?
Yes you can.

26. Can you ‘move’ a post that has already been
shared to a community?
No, you cannot do this.
But you can ‘share’ the post to a collection from a
community.

27. Sharing Whole Collections
Can you share an entire Collection with all its
content?
Yes, one of the key features is being able to share a
link to a Collection, and people seeing the content all
in one place.

28. To share a collection simply click the share arrow:

29. Then you will be able to decide on the audience:

30. Beyond Collections
How do Collections relate to ‘Circles’?
Anytime you send content into a Collection it will
automatically be posted based upon the Collection’s
setting - either public (anyone can see it), or private
(only you can see it).
This will save you needing to select the audience each
time.

31. You can still share to circles (as a separate post),
but with Collections you’ll find all the content on
a subject in one place.

32. Can you notify a circle as well as share
to a collection?
You cannot notify a circle of people and share to a
collection at the same time.
What is the difference between a Collection
and a Community?
In a Collection only ‘you’ can post content, but people
following the Collection can +1/comment/share on
posts, just like it was any other public Google+ post.

33. Do Collections get indexed by Google Search?
Yes, just in the same way as individual Google+ posts
are indexed, a whole Collection will be indexed too.
(from a source at Google)
How will Collections change how people post on
Google+?
Collections may well encourage people to post based
upon their choses niches, creating focus for a subject
matter in one place.

34. Does this change whether people should
set up a Profile or a Page?
Collections are an excellent option for people who
may have been tempted to also create a Brand Page in
the past (as well as a profile).
If you are a business though, a Page still has some
great advantages including having 50 managers access,
and getting yourself on Google Maps for Local type
pages.

35. Business Collections
What will this mean from a Business perspective?
This is a great opportunity to focus attention and to
build authority in your chosen niche or niches. There is
also the potential for great Collections to be promoted
by Google, increasing the follower count and potential
reach of your content.

36. Also, notice the ‘Featured’ tab on your collections Page.
This is a ‘Suggested List’ of collections, curated by
Google.
This gives you another opportunity and my advice is to
think about displaying your passion and see whether
Google decide to give your content a boost, you never
know!

37. Tips
(these will build up, I’m sure!)
If you are part of the PYB Academy you will have set
up ‘opt in circles’ where you notify people. Well, I’ve
figured out a way to win on this one for collections.
Whilst you may not be able to send to both at the
same time you can:
Send to public, and notify you circle as well.
Then MOVE that post to the collection right away
afterwards.

38. Question:
Does that mean that if I build a collection of older
posts and then, for some reason delete that collection,
then ALL those posts are deleted as well as the
collection itself?
Answer: Yep!
Yikes! Better be careful then.

39. Would you like support with your marketing?
Yes?
Excellent! In which case...
Contact me (Martin) at:
martin@plusyourbusiness.com
Or call me on:
UK - 0117 901 2415
USA - 415 820 3225