My dudes, I have had Hinge for less than a day and I already feel so out of my element. This is the first time I've tried online dating, and I'm confused.

  1. A woman commented on a picture that "I'm nowhere close to you in attractiveness or intelligence, but I want you to know you have the most endearing smile I've ever seen." Is this an attempt to be cute? I went to MIT and work at Google but she's a physician at Stanford so not sure why she said that. Do women think men like it when they're self depricating?
  2. A woman said I was "so adorable" and I thought it was cute, but that's what my mom calls me lmao. Do you guys like being called cute or adorable or whatever?

And in general, how long do you guys message with the woman before asking to go out? I'm 32 and looking for a LTR but I'm completely out of my comfort zone here. Is anyone else here around my age or has experience with online dating with the intention of an LTR? I'd be grateful for any advice, thanks.