Why do you need the snapshot?
Could you simply open the wallet and wait for it to sync, if you never used it before?
This is absolutely the right question. Personally I would recommend to NOT use the bootstrap, but sync from scratch. It will take about 2 days straight, you can shut down your PC in between and continue syncing the next day. The reason for this recommendation is that multiple people had problems syncing from scratch (including me), and while using a blockchain snapshot might be a way to get things working, it should not be mandatory! Because otherwise we've essentially ignored the basic advantage of using a blockchain, which is an (almost) trustless P2P setup.
If more people would try syncing from scratch and report about their success or failure (e.g. with debug.log output), this will help debugging a problem (in case it actually
is a problem) that should be taken care of more than it is right now. Always telling people to use the bootstrap is not a good approach to fix problems like those we are currently facing. If network and chain splits happen, this needs to be addressed on the software level IMO.
As for sending coins from or to exchanges, here is a simple advice for you: Don't make transactions while there are problems on the network, period.
