People are not constant in every phase of a relationship. All those 20-something females I mentioned like phone calls later in the relationship.
By applying your selection criteria during the initial phase you're not really applying it to them at all. You're just limiting your chances of success, very severely.
Counterpoint: this is self selection mechanism in itself. I don't want to be dating the person who can't handle getting a phone call without it being "awkward" or "weird".
Playing the game by the numbers is only worthwhile if your goal is ephemeral (i.e. to "score"). If your goal is to have a lasting meaningful relationship, then who cares what the numbers are. Be yourself.
> After the initial courting phase, I've found things to be a bit different and more dependent upon the individual. That's the time to show your own preferences rather than play the game.
If your preferences matter to you, use them as a selection methodology or you're just wasting time.