talking stage

i got out of a 5 year relationship last year and just recently entered the dating world...i started dating my ex when i have 17 so i'm totally clueless on how things are now! i've been talking to this guy for about a month and we're both very interested in eachother but i'm just nervous to move things too fast! how long does the "talking stage" typically last? just wondering when is an "appropriate" time to set boundaries and let them know about my expectations and when to bring up taking it to the next step?