Posts with maximum rating end up on the main page. This system is auctioned - from each rubric the top ten posts can be in the "Hot" section, with the overall number of posts there being limited. Only the best posts make it to the main page. The rating of a post is determined by the sum of likes on the post and the overall rating of the author. 

Thus, the overall rating of the author affects the appearance of their posts on the main page, and the author increases the regularity and collects a positive feedback from the community, which increases the likelihood of getting on the main page with more probability, and the author has a higher negative rating with less.