Google+ has taken off like no other social network before it. While it's still in 'limited field trial' mode, it's already being seriously considered as a contender to take on Twitter and Facebook. Journalists already use both those networks to great effect. Could Google+ see similar usage?

Some journalists have already started experimenting with Google+ as a way to share, discuss or source news. Here are a few examples:

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Vadim Lavrusik, the cherub-cheeked 25-year old who heads up Facebook's new journalist program initiative, has been generating a lot of chatter in media circles, and not just for his thoughtful missives about how ink-stained wretches could better utilize the social network to promote their work or find sources. His arrival, along with a few other moves by the social-media company, suggests Facebook may be looking at ways to turn the site into a distribution -- and money making -- platform for news.

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by Amy Gahran

Last week I attended an event for journalists at Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters featuring a panel of journalists discussing how they use Facebook. Founding Salon.com editor Scott Rosenberg also was there, and this week he wrote a blog post exploring whether journalists and news organizations should be wary about depending too heavily on Facebook for their public engagement...

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Social networking sites are now competing with news publishers as sources of breaking news and information, new research from UK firm iCD shows, Journalism.co.uk reported today.

High usership of social networks, combined with aggregated and personalised news streams on Facebook and Twitter, had led to this trend. According to the study, which polled 1,000 people in United Kingdom, the top destination for news seekers was the BBC's website, where 50.4 percent of people said go to for breaking news. In second place was social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, at 18.5 percent, and in third place was SKY news, at 18.1 percent.

Graph: Journalism.co.uk
The study showed that a slightly higher percent of female users go to social networking sites as an informative resource.

Among national newspapers, the most preferred newspaper, and in fourth place overall, was the Daily Mail (12.8), followed by The Sun (7.1 percent), the Daily Telegraph (6.7 percent), the Guardian (5.9 percent), The Times (5.4 percent), the Daily Mirror (3.4 percent), The Independent (3.2 percent), the Financial Times (2.8 percent), the Daily Express (2.7 percent), The Evening Standard (2.7 percent) and News of the World (2.4 percent).

Meanwhile, 3.5 percent chose blogs and 3.3 percent choose RSS feeds as a way to receive the latest news updates. Another 27.6 percent said they do not get their news from the Internet.