A couple of weeks ago I was asked to comment for a New York Enterprise Report article on Google+ for small businesses. The way I’m evaluating Google+ for my small business may help your small or mid-size nonprofit.

Caveat: I’m not a social media guru, maven, thought leader or expert. I’m a user, just like you.

Google+ doesn’t yet have business profiles, but they’re expected within a few months. The question is whether your nonprofit should create a profile page and devote time to keeping it fresh. That’s not a trivial question, given the time it takes to keep content up-to-date and engaging.

What I’m doing–and you might consider–is evaluating who accepts my Google+ invitations and who puts me in their circles. If you’re not familiar with circles and how Google+ works, take a look at this explanation, from Google.

If my new Google+ friends are all my old Facebook friends, I’m less inclined to put a lot of time into Google+. But if people are connecting who I don’t already know, I’ll think differently. So far, it’s mostly people I’m already connected to, but not all. I am having fun with it.

Or, if there are terrific features that I don’t find on Facebook fan pages, I’ll be more inclined to encourage people to join me on a Google+ business profile for my radio show. I’d be particularly interested in a decent calendar and strong polling functions. You may have other needs that would draw you to the newcomer.

So, I’m judging Google+ based on who my friends are and whether there are features I crave.

I hope this gives you some help in figuring out the value to your nonprofit of what will certainly not be the last new social networking property.