Aggressive? Or reckless?

Here's a hand where I attempt a steal which fails miserably but I catch a piece of the flop. The bets seem like draws to me or maybe a pair below mine so I raise. The 8 on the turn is a bit scary but I decide to keep going. Aggressive or reckless do you think? Looking back on it I think once I decided to raise the flop I should have bet more to spoil the draw odds? I can't tell if this was good play or really stupid... (I'm a new player)

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $ BB (9 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

MP1 ($10.35)
MP2 ($24.30)
MP3 ($9.75)
Hero ($27.45)
Button ($5.40)
SB ($31.20)
BB ($27.79)
UTG ($31.50)
UTG+1 ($13.20)

Preflop: Hero is CO with J, 6. SB posts a blind of $0.10.
4 folds, MP3 calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 2 folds, BB calls $1, MP3 calls $1.

Flop: ($3.85) 9, J, 8 (3 players)
BB bets $1, MP3 calls $1, Hero raises to $3, BB calls $2, MP3 calls $2.

Turn: ($12.85) 8 (3 players)
BB checks, MP3 checks, Hero raises to $6, BB folds, MP3 calls all in $5.50
River: ($12.85) T (3 players)

Final Pot: $12.85

you're never gonna get a pure steal preflop. they're usually preflop and flop actions combined for a steal.

i like the flop attempt at a squeeze play, though. Maybe it needed a bit more money behind and to possibly be on a less drawy board

As it turned out the guy turned over KT and I won the pot. I don't think he had the odds to call my turn bet but I may be mistaken

i would have given up on the flop when the guy bet into you. That board is really scary, and you really aren't beating anything unless the villian is a donk (i guess he was). A steal is fine, and usually you will cont bet on the flop, but that requires it being checked to you.

I agree that the board was scary, but might it not be equally scary for them? I think because they only bet 1/4 the pot I decided to try a raise and see what was what. But maybe it's just better to fold this unless it is checked to me, as I say I'm new here When they checked the turn I still wasn't really sure where I was so I bet again. I have this idea that when I have a hand, the only way to get infomation on my opponents is with a bet, but I can see this could be taken much too far. Would you tend to see their checking as suspicious? Holding a set and waiting for me to bet into it? I decided they were drawing but did I just get lucky? I would certainly have folded to a re-raise