The vehicle bomb that went off today (Friday, July 22nd) in Oslo, Norway was the first “test” you could say as to whether or not Google+ is a good source for breaking news. It wasn’t that long ago that I wrote how social media was quickly becoming the leading way to communicate during national disasters. At the time of that writing, I was referring to Twitter and Facebook, but we can now add Google+ to the list.

The ability to create a feed is how Google+ can be used effectively for breaking news, similar to Twitter. Google+ user Siegfried Hirsch, made a list of people to follow to get your updates on the bombing. And then he asked his followers to add other Google+ contacts in the comments who were reporting from the location. He was able to update with live streaming links and comments as he received more info.

There are still flaws when it comes to using Google+ for breaking news and communication during events such as the Oslo bombings, but being as new as it is and already being seen as a news source, says a lot.