Laurel was named in 2012 by Forbes magazine in the Top 50 Social Media Influencers globally, and Marketing Magazine named her “Head of Industry, Social Media”. She has consulted globally including with Singapore Government and Middle East Broadcasting, and in Australia, with Westpac, Sony, local, State and Federal Government. Laurel is the CEO of The Community Crew managing massive gaming and online communities including Facebook and forums for reality TV shows such as Junior Masterchef. Since 2005, Laurel has been teaching online community management at the University of Sydney and has been managing virtual communities since 1989.