Although silent auctions have been kind to me 
(if not my pocketbook), I despise them. I much 
prefer to see where the bid is at at any given 
point and time and not have to bid blindly.

Some folks have compromised and updated the 
current bid on their cels when they do "silent 
auctions," giving bidders the opportunity to 
raise their bids at a later time before auction 
close. Harder, administratively, but preferable, 
from my point of view.