AKo - UTG - need a better line

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.25 BB (8 handed) converter

Hero ($24)
UTG+1 ($26.05)
MP1 ($6.95)
MP2 ($25)
CO ($26.45)
Button (Villain)/ ($16.90)
SB ($10.15)
BB ($27.20)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img].
<font color="#CC3333">Hero raises to $0.75</font>, <font color="#666666">3 folds</font>, CO calls $0.75, Button (Villain)/ calls $0.75, <font color="#666666">2 folds</font>.

Flop: ($2.60) T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], 9[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img], J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(3 players)</font>
Hero checks, CO checks, <font color="#CC3333">Villain bets $0.75</font>, Hero calls $0.75, CO folds.

Turn: ($4.10) A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
Hero checks, <font color="#CC3333">Villain bets $1</font>, Hero calls $1.

River: ($6.10) 6[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] <font color="#0000FF">(2 players)</font>
<font color="#CC3333">Hero bets $6</font>, Villain folds.

Final Pot: $12.10

so....

this came up earlier today - not long afterwards I read the cardplayer article on earning extra cash by pushing all in preflop with AK. AKo is one of my top 5 losing hands ATM and I think the above hand may be an example of why.

Looking at this hand now I don't like my river bet - would a half pot bet be better here to extract more value?

I seem to get myself into all sorts of trouble OOP playing hands like this. Should I be raising more than 3xBB UTG?

new at this table so sadly no real reads.