For the past several years, the Princeton Regional Chamber has started off the New Year with a luncheon speaker who prognosticated about the economy. For instance, last year’s January speaker for the chamber was David Sandahl, who predicted gloomy results for job creation. But for this year, enough about the economy, we need something more cheerful.

Jeff Vanderbeek, the speaker for Thursday, January 6, 11:30 a.m. at the Princeton Marriott, has finance forecasting chops, because he used to be at Lehman Brothers. But now he is chairman of the New Jersey Devils hockey team, and he will talk about how he aims for a payout from the largest private investment in New Jersey. Walk-ins pay more, so pre-register.

And sure enough, this January lots of people are still looking for jobs. At the Princeton Public Library on Wednesday, January 5, at 7 p.m., outplacement consultant Jean Baur offers some consolation and advice, in part from her book, “Eliminated? Now What?” Co-sponsored by NJ Unemployed, the group begun by Katie Devito aimed at making the unemployed a collective voice, the event is free.

More meetings of value in the next week:

At the library, on Monday, January 10, at 6:45 p.m., Brinda Wiita will speak about how small businesses can use social media. A neuroendocrinologist and pharmacologist, she manages a website for submission of patented and patent-pending opportunities that may be commercialized by Johnson & Johnson Consumer companies.

New Jersey Technology Council offers its latest CEO Forum, “Managing a Board of Directors,” on Wednesday, January 12, at 8:30 a.m. at the offices of the Edison Venture Fund, 1009 Lenox Drive. Cost: $25. Visit www.njtc.org.

Also on January 12, a nationwide group teams with New Jersey’s Solid Waste Resource Group will present “Creating Ways to Keep Organics Out of the Landfill, a day-long interactive workshop, aimed at creating a vision for organics recycling. Cost $20 including lunch, call 609-651-1544 or vastola@aesop.rutgers.edu.

Donna Liu teaches a free course on how to use the Internet to spread your message. It’s on Thursday, January 13, 9 a.m., at Princeton Community Television, 369 Witherspoon Street, and. like the library workshops, it’s free.

For more social media advice, check out these excerpts from U.S. 1’s Survival Guide.) And check the calendar of U.S. 1 Newspaper for other business meetings that can give you a “shot on goal.”