I haven't been to a taping in 13 years and obviously a lot has changed.
Indeed it has. Following from Wayoshi's comments, seating is now done by On-Camera Audiences (OCA) and they appear to operate on the "pretty people" system: namely, if you are pretty/handsome, you get the front rows in the center.
From what I have read, when you go there you will have your picture taken in front of a greenscreen wall...thing, showing either the Big Wheel or Plinko with "$50,000" on the scoreboard.
Stan Blits still does the interviewing, but current showrunner Mike Richards has the final say, mostly based on the aforementioned pictures. And whatever you do, do
not mention this site or that you are a part of it during your brief time with Stan -- used to be, you would be welcomed; today, however, you will have zero chance of being selected (someone else could explain this better than I).
While I have not had the opportunity to attend a taping of the show, I have read quite a bit and shared some basic pointers in two posts
here.