It seems that Twitter is the latest social media giant to realize the importance of targeting its user’s interests.  In an announcement today, Twitter disclosed their acquisition of BagCheck, a 7- month old startup that focuses intensely on lists and interests.  Bagcheck, founded by Sam Pullara and Luke Wrobewski, encourages users to share products that they like by placing them in virtual bags.  While Twitter already has a lists feature, it only indirectly enables users to connect with what interests them, insofar as they choose to follow those accounts that they find appealing.  One notable feature of Bagcheck, however, is its emphasis on real time content updates.  While Bagcheck is a novel concept, it appears that Twitter is more interested in the talent behind it than the product itself.  As a Twitter representative stated in a Mashable article on the acquisition, “Sam Pullara is a rare talent with a deep appreciation for connecting people with their interests.  He’s a skilled product strategist, technologist and entrepreneur who has not only led large teams at Yahoo and Borland, but has co-founded successful ventures and spent time advising young startups as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Accel Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital.”

Conclusion

Is Twitter’s acquisition a hint that they’re looking to alter their business model and take a much bigger step in fostering deeper user engagement by developing a more polished real-time user interface?  Or in the wake of the launch of promoted tweets, is Twitter looking to tie itself more closely to commerce?