Front load or top load?

September 12th, 2009
Author: Nancy Smith

Today everyone in the ad business is talking about how the adoption of social media by the masses is going to change everything. It’s going to be a seismic shift, we say…things will never be the same. But to really get it, I think you’ve got to use it. And use it not as a professional, but on a very personal level.

So the other day, my husband and I were talking about purchasing a new washer and dryer. A mundane but critical purchase. Top load or front load? GE, Maytag or LG? As you would expect, we visited all the usual sites. Manufacturers, Consumer Reports, user reviews, etc. and in the end we had a boatload of conflicting information. How could we really tell which was the most credible? The reality was, we couldn’t. So just like generations of people have done for years, we asked our friends and family for a recommendation. But instead of asking just the few that lived nearby, we reached out to our extended group of family and friends, via Facebook.

A quick inquiry blasted out to a few hundred people we know and trust yielded a bountiful response. Sure, we received conflicting information here too – but the beauty was we were able to weigh those differences of opinion alongside the needs, value and credibility of the people providing the references. My friend Mary loved her new front load LG set. She said they were red, beautiful and she missed them. (Mary, I think, sends most of her clothes to the dry cleaner). Than there was my buddy Matt. Father of five kids under the age of 12. Now that man knows about laundry. “Front load rocks” he says. Front load is now in the lead. As the minutes passed, many more friends chimed in. The GE front load was highly recommended by a friend who I know really does her homework before she makes a purchase. And as a bonus, a cousin reminded me not to forget to buy the risers. After all, with my bad back I shouldn’t be bending over to pull out the laundry.

Mission accomplished. Front load, GE with risers it is.