Facebook users who wonder how they are perceived by others can now try a new application called YouJustGetMe, the first offering from Kenmore online psychological research startup Psychster.

Facebook users who download the application fill out a 40-question personality test -- rating themselves on statements such as, "I am someone who gets nervous easily," or, "I am someone who tends to find fault with others." Visitors to the Facebook profile then answer the same 40 questions about the person, with the results listed in bubble charts showing whether the person is perceived as disciplined or casual, alternative or traditional.

"It tells them if their online profile is communicating their personality faithfully to others," said David Evans, a former senior business analyst at Classmates.com who also works as director of research and analysis at Seattle social networking startup RIPL. He founded Psychster last year with Sam Gosling, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas.

Evans, a former assistant professor of social psychology at Union College, said he has been fascinated with the perceptions that people hold of others for more than a decade.

The proliferation of user profiles on sites such as Facebook and MySpace has opened up a treasure trove of information and controversy. For example, Evans said a co-worker could form a negative opinion of someone based on the nightlife photos they share on their Facebook profile. Helping people figure out how they are perceived online is the goal of YouJustGetMe.

To date, about 5,100 people have downloaded the application, while 9,000 personality "guesses" have occurred. Evans doesn't know if YouJustGetMe will turn into a business, but he sees applications ranging from corporate training to recruiting. And, of course, dating.

"It is great for new couples starting to date -- seeing what ways are you right in assumptions of their personality and what ways are you wrong," he said. "It is really fascinating as a get-to-know-you process....There are a lot of places where this could go."

Of course, competition looms on the horizon -- including Personal DNA, which has developed a free online personality test that also allows others to weigh in on one's personality traits.

More on the science of YouJustGetMe here.