Those pictures of Saturday night debauchery posted on Facebook may be drawing a bigger audience than just Penn State students -- one that includes employers using the online forum to scope out prospective employees.

Penn State Career Services Director Jack Rayman said though he hasn't had any students come forward with first-hand experience, the possibility of employers using the Web site for information about job candidates has been discussed within career services.

"We know that it's happening out there," Rayman said. "It's not terribly widespread because it's a relatively new phenomenon."

Rayman added that because of the medium's nature, it would be difficult to say it's unethical for an employer to look at a student's Facebook profile.

"If you're exhibiting some bizarre behavior on Facebook or disclosing something unusual or weird, I think that information is fair game," Rayman said.

Any user with an ".edu" e-mail address can register for Facebook, meaning employers with recent graduates and alumni can gain easy access.

Currently, about 57,000 Penn State students are registered with the Web site.

"Students think it's just a fun activity, but they may be putting things online that come back to haunt them," said Robert D. Richards, journalism professor and founding co-director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment.

Richards said students forget that Facebook is a public site with minimal access restrictions, but should know that if they post information, they shouldn't have an expectation of privacy.

"If a student has a bizarre answering machine message, that may formulate an impression on an employer's mind," Richards said. "I always tell my students they should make their answering machines sound professional like their resume is professional -- it's the same kind of thing with Facebook."

Psychology professor David Day said it is ultimately students' responsibility to represent themselves carefully on a public site like Facebook.

"But it gets into an interesting area because students have the right to espouse their beliefs," he said. "But those beliefs might be a part of what an employer considers for an employee application."

Day said it would be nearly impossible to prove that employers accessed Facebook to research potential employees unless they admitted to doing so.

Christian O'Connor (senior-biology and sociology) started a Facebook group to protest Penn State University Police when they used it to determine who rushed the field after the Ohio State football game. She said if employers are also regulating Facebook, students should be concerned.

O'Connor said using online sites like Facebook to get a better impression of prospective employees would not portray students accurately.

"If that's the case, you could just go into an interview in jeans and sneakers or we can just go in there in bikinis," she said.

But Lisa Jackson (junior-English) said she wasn't surprised that employers were using the Web site.

"If people get pissed off that employers found out certain information, they should have thought twice about putting information on there," Jackson said. "You shouldn't brag about doing stupid things because you don't know who's going to be looking."